


Family Don't Start in Blood

by AGJ1990



Category: Supernatural
Genre: New Family, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Parenthood, Sam Winchester/Amelia Richardson - Freeform, Sam and Dean as Stepdads, Step-Parent Dean Winchester, Step-parent Sam Winchester, Step-parents, more tags to be added later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-19 08:02:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17597429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AGJ1990/pseuds/AGJ1990
Summary: Sam and Dean as stepparents.





	1. Sam and Ellie:Switching Birthdays

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: First, I am still working on Sittin’ In a Tree. But I had another idea tonight, and a friend encouraged me to write it. Basically, I’ve done, over and over, Sam and even Dean as a parent. But something I’ve never done, and don’t really remember reading ever before, is both the boys as stepparents. Having them step into the parental role for a kid that’s already here who still struggles with losing a parent. 
> 
> I’m planning on this being a 2 for 1 deal type of story. One chapter will feature Sam and his fairly new stepdaughter Ellie, while the next chapter will feature Dean and his fairly new stepdaughter Tally. With Sam, I figured the easiest way to introduce a stepdaughter would be if Amelia had a daughter already, Don never came back, and Sam didn’t go back out on the road with Dean. With Dean, the story’s a little different-Tally is the daughter of a female hunter friend of Sam and Dean’s. When her father, who she lived with full-time, dies, she has to travel with them and isn’t very happy about it. I’ve finished this first chapter and am working on the second one now. 
> 
> While these two stories will be written together, they are intended to be separate AUs. Sam and Dean will probably appear in each other’s chapters, but they will not be the same Sam and Dean as in the other story. Think about it like the (spoilers here for seasons 12, 13, and 14) real Bobby and parallel universe Bobby. The Bobby we all know and love from the first seven seasons is not the same Bobby as appears in season 12 through the present. But (at least with me, everyone has their own opinion and I totally respect that) we still love the second Bobby. So the Dean that appears in the chapters with Sam and Ellie will not be the same Dean as appears in the chapters with Tally, and the Sam that appears in the chapters with Dean and Tally is not the same one as in the chapters with Sam and Ellie. I hope that long winded, ridiculous explanation makes sense, but I wanted to be clear what I was doing. 
> 
> As I said, I’m still working on Sittin’ In a Tree. I may be biting off ten times more than I can chew, having two stories going at the same time, but I promise I’ll do my best to update regularly. Enjoy!

If Sam could have one wish, it would be to not feel awkward around Ellie anymore.

 

He had been together with Amelia for over a year now. He’d been through one first day of school, one birthday, one Christmas, one Easter, and one fourth of July, and he still felt like an intruder in seven-year-old Ellie’s life. She did nothing to make him feel that way; she was polite, would tell him good morning and good night, and would answer any questions he might ask her. But she never approached Sam for a conversation. It was her mother she would ask for advice, her mother she would go to when she was hurt, or needed attention, or just wanted a hug.

 

There had been a few moments in the past year when Ellie had surprised him. She’d never learned to ride a bike, and the first time she’d done it on her own, she’d jumped off the bike and straight into Sam’s arms, leaping for joy. When she’d gotten bullied at her new school, she’d asked Sam to pick her up one day. When Sam showed up, Ellie, who barely came up to Sam’s knee, had walked up to him, turned to her bullies and told them quite proudly,

 

“That’s my Sammy. Now leave me alone or I’ll tell him to come back.”

 

Sam had been quite amused at the terrified looks on eight and nine-year-old bully’s faces. But when he’d pressed Ellie for details, she shut down again, and Sam let the matter drop. The final surprise had come just a few days earlier, when Amelia had left for the night to go spend some time with friends. Ellie had woken up from a nightmare, crying and wanting her mommy. But when Sam reminded her that Amelia was gone, Ellie begged him to stay.

 

“Stay ‘till I go back to sleep. Please.”

 

“Of course I will, honey. Lay back down.”

 

Since Ellie was upset, Sam had fought the smile he felt coming when she asked him to stay. Ellie and her father had, in Amelia’s words, been “closer than the peanut butter and jelly on a sandwich” before he died. Sam had tried to convince her that he wasn’t trying to take her father’s place, but it appeared the message hadn’t quite sunk in yet.

 

The situation had definitely not improved when Amelia announced she was pregnant. Through a freakish coincidence, Sam and Amelia’s daughter Rachel had been born on Ellie’s seventh birthday, meaning the two shared a birthday. It had taken a month after Rachel was born for Sam and Amelia to realize that they hadn’t celebrated Ellie’s birthday. Feeling the guilt eating away at them, Sam and Amelia had left Rachel with Amelia’s father Jack for the weekend while they spent quality time with Ellie.

 

Sam was determined not to let that happen this year. While Amelia was setting up for Rachel’s birthday party the next day, Sam approached Ellie. She was sitting on the floor in front of the couch, her teddy bear Moonpie next to her and a doll sitting in her lap. Ellie took her hairbrush and carefully brushed the doll’s hair.

 

“Hey, kiddo. Can I join you?”

 

“Sure.” Ellie said quietly, without looking up from her doll.

 

Sam awkwardly took a seat next to Ellie on the floor. “You excited about tomorrow?”

 

Ellie shrugged. “I guess.”

 

“You guess? It’s not every day you turn eight years old.”

 

“Nobody’s gonna care about it being my birthday when it’s Rachel’s first.” Ellie said.

 

“Hey.” Sam said, and Ellie turned to look at him. “ _I_ care.”

 

Ellie gave Sam a small but genuine smile. “Thanks.”

 

“Listen, sweetie. I know it’s been a little bit rough with me here, okay? I know it all happened really, really fast. But like I said before, I just want to be your friend, okay?”

 

“Okay.” Ellie said.

 

“Look, I had an idea.” Sam said. “I want you to hear me out. Can you do that?”

 

“Sure. What is it?”

 

“What do you think about switching birthdays?” Sam asked.

 

“Switching birthdays?”

 

“Yeah. See, when you get to be a grownup, like me, you don’t really care about your birthdays as much as you used to. So, I was thinking. It’s not really fair that Rachel gets all the attention tomorrow when it’s your birthday too. So why don’t we pretend that tomorrow is my birthday and when my real birthday rolls around, we’ll celebrate yours.”

 

“Can we do that?” Ellie asked, intrigued by the idea.

 

“Sure we can. But it means that we won’t have a cake or a party for you for a few more months.”

 

“How long? When is your birthday?”

 

“May 2nd. You’ll almost be out of school. But, if we do switch, then when we celebrate your birthday, we’ll spend that whole day focused on you. Not splitting the attention between you and Rachel. What do you think?”

 

Ellie smiled. She remembered how it felt the year before, being overshadowed by her little sister’s arrival and how much it hurt. She also remembered the weeks after, with her mommy and Sammy and everyone else focused almost solely on Rachel, to the point that no one even told her happy birthday. She’d felt unimportant and shoved to the side. But Sammy seemed to be trying hard to make her feel differently this year. As much as Ellie might have doubted it before, maybe Sammy meant it when he said he just wanted to be her friend.  

 

“I like it. I like it a lot.”

 

“Good. So do we have a deal?” Sam asked, extending his hand towards her.

 

“Deal.” Ellie eagerly shook Sam’s hand before she remembered something. “Wait.”

 

“What?”

 

“Can we still go see Daddy?”

 

“Yes.” Amelia had come in from the kitchen and was watching the two of them from the doorway. “Yes, we can still go see Daddy.”

 

Ellie thought about something for a moment before turning back to Sam. “Will you come too?”

 

Sam thought he would cry. Ellie’s visits to her father were something she wanted to keep to herself. Even when Amelia went with her, she would sit in the car while Ellie talked to her father alone. He’d been to Don’s grave once, with Amelia on what would have been their wedding anniversary, and Ellie hadn’t been with them.

 

“Sure, sweetie. If you want me to. I’ll go.”

 

“Okay, birthday girl. Time for your bath then bed.” Amelia announced.

 

“Not my birthday, mommy. It’s Sammy’s.”

 

“What?” Amelia asked. Sam quickly told her the idea, and Amelia smiled. “Well, that sound like a great idea!”

 

“I like it too.” Ellie said. “Thanks, Sammy.”

 

“You’re welcome, honey. Go on and get your shower and I’ll read to you tonight if you want.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Ellie headed down the hall to the bathroom. When she was out of earshot, Amelia turned to Sam excited. “That’s a fantastic idea!”

 

“Thanks. I’m kind of proud of it myself.”

 

“I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll get Ellie ready for bed if you get Rachel. After you read to Ellie, we spend some mommy and Daddy time together.”

 

“I like that idea even better than mine.” Sam grinned. “Alright, let’s go.”

 

Forty-five minutes later, Sam was tucking in an exhausted Ellie. She had forgotten Moonpie, so Sam ‘rescued’ him from the living room and brought him to her. Before going to his room, he took a long look at Ellie. Though he felt he still had some work to do in getting Ellie to completely trust him, he’d definitely started in the right direction.

 

“Good night, kiddo.” Sam whispered, turning and leaving the room.


	2. Dean and Tally: Soccer Practice

Dean didn’t want to admit him, because it made him feel like a terrible person. But there were days he hated his stepdaughter.

 

Tallulah, known to most that wanted to keep their teeth as ‘Tally’, had been living with Sam, Dean, and her mother Lily for three months exactly. Well, if Dean was completely honest with himself, _they_ lived with _her._ For the first eleven years of Tally’s life, she’d lived full time with her father, Ken, who until Tally’s birth had hunted with Lily. After Tally’s arrival, Lily and Ken had stayed married for another rocky six months. Lily realized she wanted to keep hunting, but Ken wanted to raise Tally and give her a normal life. Lily left, and on Tally’s third birthday, their divorce became official. Lily visited whenever she could, sending Ken money from the road regularly.

 

Lily had known Sam and Dean from her days of hunting with Ken, and after leaving him, she needed a place to stay. She fell into living with Sam and Dean in much the same way Cass had. She needed a place to stay for one night, which turned into one week, which had eventually turned into eleven years. Her relationship with Dean was an open secret. They had slept together for the first time when Lily missed Tally’s sixth birthday, and while no one openly acknowledged it, everyone knew.

 

Until two months and five days earlier, everything had worked seamlessly. Their life was complicated, but Lily felt much better knowing that Tally was taken care of and that she was safe. But after recovering from a particularly bad hunt where her cell phone had been crushed, Lily had checked her messages and found three that scared her worse than any monster. The first was from a police captain named Gary Bredlowe. He very professionally informed Lily that he needed her to come to the Jackson Falls police station. Ken had been mugged outside of the local grocery store and killed. Tally needed a guardian to come and pick her up.

 

The second message was less professional. It was Ken’s brother Pete, who had picked up Tally from the police station with the permission of Social Services. It had apparently been twelve hours since Ken had died, and he was irritated that she hadn’t picked up her phone.

 

“Your daughter needs you, Lily. Where the hell are you?”

 

The third and final message had completely crushed Lily and sent her into frantic tears. Ken had been dead for two days at that point. It was Tally, and she was clearly crying and desperate.

 

“Mommy, where are you? I need you, I’m all alone. Why won’t you pick up?”

 

Ken’s wake and funeral had been one of the longest weeks Dean remembered. Tally was broken. Dean had never realized how large Ken’s family was. There were cousins everywhere, friends, coworkers, and Ken’s mother, all of whom looked after Tally like she was their child. Looking back, Dean realized that was where the trouble started. Tally wouldn’t talk much to her mother or Sam and Dean, but she would cling to her grandmother and a couple of aunts. When Dean would check on her, she would simply respond ‘I’m fine’ and walk away. The same would happen with Lily, and the same would happen with Sam.

 

The final shock came when Ken’s will was read. Ken wasn’t a rich man, but he’d made a comfortable living for himself and Tally. He’d had a bachelor’s degree in biology, and had gotten a job at the local community college teaching in the science department. He’d worked his way up through the ranks, until he eventually became head of the department. Though he occasionally had to teach a night class or attend a school function, the majority of his time was spent with Tally. Dean had never doubted that Ken loved Tally, but the depth of that love brought even a tear to Dean’s face as Ken’s letter was read.

 

_Dear Lily,_

_Well, it sounds like an awful cliché, but if you guys are reading this, it means that I’m dead. I don’t know what really drove me to write this, but I knew that one day it was a possibility. Hopefully Tally is an adult and out of the house, but if she isn’t, there’s some things to address._

_Lily, I know it scares you to take care of Tally full time. If it really scares you enough, my mom or Pete will gladly take her. But don’t do that if you can help it. She needs you. She’s an amazing kid, Lily. She’s smart and funny and gentle and tough and compassionate and caring and a thousand other things that come to mind and I don’t have time to write them all down. I don’t mean this to sound vain, but I can tell she loves me almost as much as I love her, and this is going to crush her. I’m afraid that if you let her live with my mom or with Pete, the relationship between the two of you will completely fall apart._

_Do **NOT** take her on the road with you. I do not want her involved in hunting at all. This is no life for a child. If you’re worried about a place to live, don’t be. I never told you about this, because I didn’t want you to be upset, but I never spent a dime of what you sent to me. I put it all into a high interest checking account in Tally’s name at the local bank. As her mother, you have full access with the password Tallulah Belle. My intention had been, if I was still here when Tally went to college, to use it as a starter college fund. Get her groceries, help her pay her first bills, that kind of thing. But, since I’m not, I want you to use it to help pay the utilities. The house is paid off, so the money should last a while. _

_I don’t mind if Sam and Dean live with you at the house. I really don’t. But, and I mean this with all due respect to Dean, don’t let him take over where it comes to Tally. You tend to go to him to make a decision on whether or not you should do certain things. I want him and Tally to be friends, but he is not her father. You are her mother. You make the decisions now. Dean can help, but the buck starts and stops with you. Be her mom, Lily._

_I want you to know something. I know we fought sometimes. I know you felt like a bad mom for not being here for Tally. You are not a bad mom. You did what was best for her, even though it killed you. You were born to be a hunter, and you would have been miserable staying here with the two of us. It’s okay. Don’t blame yourself for doing what you should have done. But right now, at least for a while, Tally needs you to put all that away._

_You’re still my best friend, Lily Belle. That won’t ever change. I love you, always and forever. Take care of our baby girl._

_Much love,_

_Ken_

 

And so began two months of what was as close to a normal life as Dean had ever experienced. He and Sam still hunted regularly, and came home to Tally and Lily. Dean had thought that the irritable attitude Tally developed was a result of Ken’s death and would fade over time. He tried to be patient, but it was becoming harder and harder every day. Sam reminded him how ‘pleasant’ he was when their father had died, and reminded him how hypocritical it was to yell at Tally for it. Dean got all that, but he could feel his tether coming to an end.

 

“Hey, dude.”

 

Dean was shaken out of his thoughts by Sam’s voice. “Hey.”

 

“You okay?”

 

Dean finished pouring his coffee and shrugged. He had gotten into an argument with Tally the night before about whether or not she could stay after school for a soccer team. Lily clearly didn’t want her to, but was afraid to say no because she didn’t want Tally to be angry with her. So Dean decided to be the bad guy, and Tally responded the way he’d expected her to.

 

_The night before_

 

_“You’re not my dad. I didn’t ask you, I asked mom.”_

_A frustrated Dean looked back to Lily, who was still indecisive. “Honey, I just don’t think it’s a good idea. I’m sorry, maybe in the spring…”_

_“It was a good idea when Daddy was here.” Tally argued. “What’s changed now?”_

_“What’s changed is that your Daddy isn’t here. It’s my decision now. You can’t play soccer this time.”_

_“You promised you’d keep things the same.” Tally had said, tears in her eyes._

_“No, I said I’d keep them as much the same as I could. Your Daddy knew your soccer coach and all your teachers. I just need a little while to catch up and meet everyone.”_

_“So you don’t trust him?”_

_“I didn’t say that…”_

_“ENOUGH!” Dean, who was sick of all the arguing, spoke loudly but stopped just short of shouting. “Tallulah, enough. Stop all the arguing. Your mom didn’t say no. She’s asking for time to get to know your teachers and your coaches before she lets you do things with them. She’s being really generous here, especially with your attitude towards her lately.” Tally started to say something else, but Dean cut her off. “Now I mean it. Stop it. Stop arguing about every damn thing or the answer to soccer is no for the whole year.”_

_“You can’t do that!” a frustrated Tally answered. “That’s not your choice.”_

_“When you treat your mom like garbage when she’s trying to be nice to you, it becomes my decision then. Tell your mom goodnight and go up to bed. Now.”_

_“No.” Tally stubbornly refused, crossing her arms over her chest._

_“Tallulah…”_

_“My name is Tally!” Tally answered, raising her voice to the same level as Dean’s._

_“Shout at me again and you’ll be sleeping on your stomach for a week.”_

_The threat worked. Tally backed down, the fear she tried so hard to hide from him clearly showing. It was a bluff on Dean’s part, but Tally didn’t need to know that. He knew that Ken had spanked her occasionally, but he didn’t see himself ever able to do it himself._

_“You wouldn’t.”_

_“Try me.” Dean said. “Now are you gonna go to bed, and maybe get to play soccer in the spring, or are you gonna keep being mean and disrespectful to your mom and be done with soccer for good?”_

_“Fine.” Tally said, turning and starting to flee from the kitchen._

_“Tallulah!” Dean snapped, making Tally flinch and turn back around. “You have every right to be angry, but you will not be disrespectful. Tell your mother, me, and Sam goodnight.”_

_It took quite the effort, but Tally swallowed and choked out, “Goodnight, mom. Goodnight, Dean. Goodnight, Sam.”_

_All three adults said good night back, and when Tally was down the hall in her room, Lily looked ashamed. “Thanks, Dean.”_

_“Lily, you gotta be harder on her.”_

_“She hates me enough already.” Lily objected._

_“She doesn’t hate you. She’s testing you.” Dean said._

_“I know. And I’m failing. Miserably.” Lily said. “Do you think I’m being unreasonable with the soccer thing?”_

_Dean shifted. He actually did think she was being a little overprotective, but wanted to support her decision. “No.”_

_“Sam?”_

_Sam was not afraid to speak up. “Honestly? Yeah. A little. I’m not saying just go in blind, but think about it. Tally’s been playing soccer since she was four. In the last three months, her whole world’s fallen apart. She finally gets a little something normal back and you tell her she has to wait.” When Lily let out a deep sigh, Sam explained, “I’m not trying to make you feel bad. But maybe come to a middle ground. Go to practice with her and talk to the coach. If you really don’t trust him, then pull her out.”_

_“Sam, after the way she just acted, you really think she deserves a reward like that?” Dean asked, annoyed Sam was going against him._

_“Actually, yeah, Dean. I do think she deserves it. I think the worst thing to do to her right now is to take her out of familiar settings.” Sam said. He turned to Lily and said, “I really think she’ll calm down a lot if you just meet her halfway.”_

_Lily nodded. “I think you’re right. I’ll go see if she’s asleep yet.”_  
  


_When Lily left the room, Dean turned to Sam with a fury. “What the hell was that?”_

_“What the hell was what?”_  
  


_“Going against me like that. Giving that kid whatever she wants right now is a recipe for disaster.” Dean said._

_“What are you, Dad?” Sam asked with a smile that infuriated Dean._

_“Is that so bad?”_

_“Yes. Yes, Dean, it is bad.” Sam said. “You are better than Dad. Act like it.”_

_“Oh, here we go.” Dean said. “Let me guess. Dad was too hard on you…”_

_“Dean, don’t start that crap. I told you and I meant it. I’ve forgiven Dad for everything. I understand now why he did what he did as far as hunting. And I know he tried. But that whole military commander routine drove me away from him. And if you keep it up, it’ll drive Tally away from you.”_

_Dean, unable to respond because he knew that Sam was right, stayed silent._

_“And I’ll tell you something else, Dean. Lily’s a hell of a hunter, but she relies on you way too much for everything else. She’s Tally’s mother, which means the two of them are a package deal. If you push Tally away, and Lily doesn’t leave you with her, then neither of you deserve her.”_

“Dude, are you still mad about last night?”

 

Dean sighed. “No.”

 

“Could’ve fooled me.”

 

“Look, can we just drop it? Please?”

 

“Are you gonna drop it with Tally?” Sam asked. When Dean scoffed, Sam said, “Look, Dean, I’m sorry I said that about Dad last night. I know it bothers you when I say anything bad about him. I just…I don’t want you and Tally to end up like me and Dad. Okay?”

 

Dean nodded. He did know what Sam was saying, and he did want his relationship with Tally to be better than the relationship he’d had with his own father, and much better than the one Sam had had with John. “I know, Sammy. I know, I do, it’s just…hard not to fall into that pattern sometimes.”

 

“I know. It’ll be okay, Dean. She’ll be okay. Just keep being patient. Okay?”

 

“Thanks, Sam.”

 

“So, any new cases?” Sam asked.

 

“Actually, I was thinking about spending a few days here with Tally.”

 

Sam smiled. “I think that’s a great idea.”

 

“Yeah. Let’s just hope it does some good.”


	3. Sam and Ellie: Snakes and Stones

“Can I go play now?”   


Sam looked up from the toaster he was currently attempting to fix without much luck. “Did you clean your room?”

 

“All my toys in my toy box, my books and art stuff on my desk, and my clothes in my closet and drawers.”

 

Sam smiled. “I guess you did clean it. Did you finish your homework?”

 

“All except my science project. You’ll still help me with it tomorrow, right?”

 

“Sure will.” Sam said. “Would you do me a really, really big favor?”

 

“What?”

 

“If I don’t have this thing fixed in fifteen minutes, I’m chucking it and buying a new one. Will you take Rachel with you for a few minutes?”

 

“Sure.” Ellie said.

 

“Don’t leave the backyard until I get out there.”

 

“Okay.” Ellie turned and went to her sister’s room. “Rachel, come on! Let’s go play outside.”

 

“Yay! Rachie go pay wif Sissy!”

 

Sam smiled as he heard Ellie lead Rachel by the hand out the front door and around to the backyard. He could hear Rachel babbling inside the kitchen, and went back to the toaster. Before he could do any more work on it, he heard an ear-piercing shriek from the backyard. Sam sailed off the chair in the kitchen and ripped open the backdoor. Ellie was sprawled on the ground, pushing herself up, and Rachel was sitting up screaming until she was red in the face.

 

“What happened?” Sam asked as he ran over to check on the two girls.

 

Rachel pointed a chubby hand towards Ellie and sniffled. “Sissy push me down.”

 

“What?” Sam turned to Ellie. “Ellie, why would you…Ellie? What’s wrong?”

 

Ellie was crying, holding a hand to her leg and suddenly looking very sick. “There was…” Ellie swallowed and moaned in pain. “There was a snake. It b…bit me.”

 

“What?”

 

“It b…bit me. Bit through my jeans. Right here.” Ellie said.

 

Sam pulled up the bottom of Ellie’s jeans and had to remind himself to stay calm. The bite was already red and swelling. Sam immediately forgot about the crying Rachel and tried to remember what to do. Amelia had told him before, but panic was setting in. Sam had treated injuries of all shapes and sizes, but a snakebite was entirely new.

 

“Sammy. We need to get inside.”   


“What?” Sam asked, feeling like a complete moron.

 

“We need to get inside, he could come back.” Ellie said. “I need your help, I don’t think I can walk.”

 

“Alright, honey.”

 

Sam lifted Ellie up and started to bring her inside.

 

“Rachel, come on.” Sam snapped sharply. “Get in the house.”   


“Daddy, Sissy okay?”

 

“No, she’s not. Come on, Rachel. NOW!”

 

A frightened Rachel started crying again, but followed her Daddy inside the house. Sam started to lay Ellie down on the couch while he went to get the phone.

 

“No! You can’t lay me down.” Ellie said.

 

“Why not?”

 

“Mommy to…told me what to do for a snake bite. You gotta sit up and prop your leg up and then call the doctor.”

 

“Right.”

 

Sam sat Ellie up on the couch, then pulled up a stool to prop up Ellie’s leg. Rachel was standing in the corner of the room, two fingers in her mouth and looking scared.

 

“Rachel, come here.” Ellie said. “I need your help.”

 

Rachel cautiously approached Ellie, who held her hand out for her scared baby sister.

 

“Just hold my hand, okay?”

 

“Sissy hurt?” Rachel asked.

“I’ll be okay.” Ellie assured her. “I’m sorry I pushed you. I didn’t want the snake to bit you.”

 

“Is okay.” Rachel said. “I hold you hand, sissy.”

 

Sam came back, frustrated and hanging up the phone. He took a seat on the couch next to Ellie, fighting to stay calm. “I can’t get ahold of your mom, honey. I’ll have to call 911.”

 

Ellie nodded. “Just get help. Please. It hurts a lot.”

 

As he talked to the 911 operator, Sam held Ellie’s other hand. The pain was slowly increasing, and Sam could barely contain the panic. Ellie was trying to be brave, but her grip on his hand was strong and she was crying more and more.

 

“Did you see what the snake looked like, El?”

 

Ellie swallowed and nodded. “R…rattlesnake. Diamondback.”

 

“Are you sure?” Sam asked.

 

Ellie nodded again. “Daddy taught me about them. I r…remember.”

 

Sam relayed the information to the operator and impatiently asked how much longer it would be. What seemed like hours later, two paramedics were finally at the door. Their elderly neighbor, Mrs. Quimby, offered to take care of Rachel for a few hours ‘until that poor child’s settled’. Sam gladly took the offer. He climbed into the back of the ambulance with Ellie, who still had a tight grip on his hand.

 

“I’m right here, sweetie.”

 

“Sammy, I’m scared.”

 

The last thing Ellie heard before she fell asleep was Sam’s soothing voice. “I know. I’m right here.”

 

When Ellie woke up, it was dark outside. She was lying on a bed that wasn’t her own. She felt lightheaded and slightly nauseous, and moving produced a pain in her leg.

 

“Whoa, whoa. Stay still, honey.”

 

“Mommy?” Ellie asked, turning towards her mother’s voice. “Where are we?”

 

Amelia moved and sat on the bed next to Ellie. “You’re in the hospital, sweetie. Do you remember what happened?”

 

“I got bit by a snake.” Ellie said.

 

“That’s right.” Amelia said. “How do you feel?”

 

“Kinda weird.”

 

“That’s the medicine they gave you. It’s making you really sleepy. Does your foot still hurt?” Amelia asked.

 

“Kinda.” Ellie said sleepily. “Not as bad.”

 

“Okay.” Amelia reached over and pushed some hair out of her face. “Sammy went to get some soup from the cafeteria in case you woke up. Are you hungry?”

 

“No, not really.”

 

“That’s okay.”

 

“Hey, you.” Sam had arrived back with the soup. “You’re awake.”

 

“Hey, Sammy.” Ellie offered him a weak smile.

 

“Sam, she said she’s not real hungry. We can save the soup for later?”

 

“Sure.” Sam put the bowl on the small table inside the room.

 

“Since you’re awake, honey, can you tell me what happened today?” Amelia asked.

 

“Sammy said we could go outside and play. I went and got Rachel and we went around to the backyard. I heard something rattling and I looked down and saw it.”

 

“The snake?” Amelia asked.

 

“Yeah. Rachel was heading straight for it, she didn’t see it. That’s why I pushed her. I was trying to push her away from it.”

 

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, honey.” Amelia said. “I am really proud of you.”

 

“Proud of me? For what?”

 

“Baby, you don’t even realize it, do you?” Amelia asked. “You were right about what kind of snake it was. Rachel is really tiny. If it had bitten her, she could have died really fast. You saved Rachel’s life.”

 

“I did?”

 

“You did, Ellie. You were very brave today.” Sam said. “And I’m sorry I didn’t quite remember what to do.”

“It’s okay.” Ellie said. “I’ll teach you if it happens again.”

 

“You were right about the snake, by the way.” Amelia said. “They caught it and sent me a picture. You want to see it?”

 

Ellie nodded eagerly. “Yeah.” Ellie marveled at the photo on her mother’s phone. “Wow. How big was he?”

 

“Six feet.”   


“Wow!” Ellie said. “They’re only supposed to grow to four feet. Cool!”

 

“I’m glad you think so.” Sam said.

 

“Mommy, was I really brave today?”

 

“Yes, you were very brave today.”

 

“Like Daddy was brave?”

  
Amelia took a quick look at Sam before answering. She knew, no matter how little he would say it, that a small part of him was still jealous of Don’s hold on Ellie’s heart. But he was too good of a man to admit it, especially in front of Ellie, so Amelia turned back to Ellie.

 

“Yes. You are brave just like your Daddy. He would have been very proud of you today.”

 

A contented Ellie leaned back against her bed and smiled.

 

“It’s late. I guess I should go pick up Rachel.” Sam said.

 

“Do you have to?” Ellie asked.

 

“Afraid so, sweetie. It’s after nine.”

 

“How long do I gotta stay here?”

 

“As long as you don’t get sicker tonight, you can go home tomorrow.” Amelia answered.

 

“Can you stay with me too? You and mommy? Please?” Ellie asked Sam.

 

Sam, surprised, didn’t know what to say. Ellie had come a long way in trusting him, but sickness or injuries were still purely mommy’s domain. Until now.

 

“Sammy can stay too, sweetpea. But he needs to call Mrs. Quimby and let her know. Then he needs to go home and get you some clothes to wear home. Any requests?” Amelia asked.

 

“Will you bring Moonpie too? He’s on my bed.”

 

“You got it, kiddo. I’ll be back soon.” Sam stood up and leaned over to kiss Ellie. “Feel better, okay?”

“Okay.” Ellie yawned. “Love you, Sammy.”

 

“I love you too.” Sam answered. “Love you too.”


	4. Dean and Tally: The Showdown

**Dean and Tally: The Showdown**

**A/N: This scene gets a little intense. Dean and Lily, tired of Tally’s attitude, attempt to lay down the law with her, but both of them go a little too far, driving Tally to run away.**

 

Dean was frustrated. It had been two weeks since the soccer argument, and things had cooled down slightly. Tally was listening to her mother, to Dean, and to Sam, though her attitude was still sour. Dean and Lily had created one rule that was to be followed above all others. She had to respect Lily, Dean, and Sam. No backtalk, no refusing to do what she was told, being civil to all the adults in the house. She was allowed to play soccer, but was on a three-strike system. The first strike meant a verbal warning. The second strike meant that an adult went to all her games and practices until her attitude changed for the better. The third strike meant that she was off the soccer team, grounded for the rest of the soccer season, and, in Dean’s words, ‘would get a spanking that she’d never forget’. Dean secretly wanted to force Tally to stay in the house until she at least pretended to be happy again. He knew that the only reason Tally was following the rules was because she wanted to play soccer, but for right now, it would have to do.

 

At the moment, Dean was sitting on the couch in the living room, nervously waiting for Lily to drop the bomb on Tally. There was a hunt one state over, and as much help as possible was needed to take care of it. Lily was coming with them, which meant that, despite Ken’s wishes, Tally had to come too. The problem was that Tally’s first game was that weekend. Dean had promised that, assuming she was still on the team and had behaved, he would go along with Sam and Lily. He knew that Tally was likely to explode, and she didn’t disappoint.

 

“I’M NOT GOING!”

 

Tally’s shout could be heard clearly all the way down the hallway. Dean groaned, thinking to himself _this’ll be fun_. He caught a glimpse on the wall of a picture of Ken and Tally. Tally couldn’t have been older than four, and she held onto her father’s leg tightly. Dean wished that four-year-old Tally would come back. The one that would wait expectantly at the door for him to give her a candy bar or would beg for a ride in his ‘bus’, her nickname for the Impala. He heard Tally stomping down the hall towards the living room and braced himself for the oncoming storm.

 

“I’m not leaving.”

 

“Sit down, kiddo. We’ll talk about it, but if you keep shouting, you’re gonna end up over my knee and off the team for good.”

 

Tally stomped her foot and nearly screamed. “You can’t do that…”

 

Dean’s razor thin patience finally snapped. In a flash, he grabbed Tally by the arm and pulled her down over his knee. A shocked Tally said nothing until Dean started to swat her. Hard. Tally fought back, balling her fists and trying to punch Dean’s muscular legs to get away. Though her feeble attempts barely fazed Dean, he stopped swatting her long enough to warn her.

 

“Keep hitting me and the jeans come down.” Tally stopped and Dean gave her a few seconds to calm down. When she did, Dean made another attempt to reach her. “I’ve had enough. If you want to act like a toddler having a tantrum, I’m going to treat like one. But if you want to talk, calmly and respectfully, I will let you go. Are you ready to do that?”

 

“Let me go!” Tally demanded.

 

Dean answered her demand by turning to Lily. “Would you go to our room and bring me your hairbrush, please?”

 

“Sure.” Lily said, walking away to retrieve the brush.

 

Tally kicked and squirmed harder. Dean spanked her again, only stopping when Lily was back with the hairbrush. Dean pointedly thanked Lily for it, hoping Tally would take the hint and realize ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ would help improve her situation considerably. Dean laid the hairbrush on the floor, exactly where Tally would see it and not be able to take her eyes off of it.

 

“I gave you a chance to sit and talk like a grownup, kid. You lost it. Now, you’re gonna stay right where you are and listen. The better you listen, the less swats you get. Got it?”

 

Tally knew there was no way she was getting up. “Got it.”

 

“Okay. You mother, Sam, and I have given you more chances than I can count to talk to us about anything that might be bothering you. You still can talk to us if you want once we’re done here. But the pissiness in your attitude stops right now.”

 

“I’ve followed all the rules.” Tally objected.

 

Dean swiftly swatted Tally three more times. “You can’t listen and talk at the same time.”

 

Tally huffed but said nothing else.

 

“You’re right. You have followed all the rules. But you’re only doing it to get what you want. The second you didn’t get your way, you started acting out all over again.” Dean waited for her to agree or object, but Tally said nothing. “Kiddo, I am sorry about your game. I really am. I know I promised you we would go. But your mom and Sam and I have a hunt we _have_ to go on. A lot of people are dying, and they need as many hunters as can come to help. Do you understand?” Tally said nothing and Dean swatted her one more time. “I said, do you understand?”

 

“I didn’t know I was allowed to talk now.”

 

Dean took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. He reminded himself that he _had_ told her not to talk and that he seemed to at least be making a snail’s progress.

 

“Just answer the question.”

 

“I understand.”

 

“I get that you’re upset. But you have to understand that your life is going to be different now. I know your dad’s life was mostly work and you, but our job doesn’t work that way. And you’re old enough to know that the whole world doesn’t revolve around you. There’s going to be times that we will have to move your schedule around for our needs, and you are just going to have to deal with it. Now, I’m giving you yet another chance here. I’m not making you quit the team. But hear me, kid. Just because we’re not going now doesn’t mean we don’t want to go. I will do everything in my power, assuming you follow the rules and don’t lose your soccer privileges, to be at every one of your other games. Do you understand?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Yes, what?”

 

“Yes, Dean, I understand.” Tally said with gritted teeth.

 

Dean sighed and chose to let it slide. “Not quite what I was looking for, but it’ll do. For now.” Dean grabbed the hairbrush off the floor, and could feel Tally tense beneath him. “You’re getting five. You end up in this position because of disrespect again, you lose the jeans and it’s a minimum of ten.”

 

Dean didn’t ask whether Tally understood, just spanked her quickly five more times. Tally finally broke down in a sob, and though Dean hated to admit it to himself, he was relieved. He hoped it meant he was getting through to her. When the fifth swat was delivered, Dean threw the brush on the couch next to him. Tally was softly crying, and Dean instinctively reached up to rub her back.

 

“It’s over now, kiddo.”

 

Tally pulled away from him as far as she could.

 

Dean shook his head and helped Tally off his lap. “Go on and get ready for bed. Mom’ll be in to say goodnight in a minute.”

 

Tally sniffed and wiped her nose, trying hard to keep herself from crying any more than she already was. “Don’t bother.”

 

Dean started to say something, but was shocked when Lily grabbed Tally’s arm and swatted her three more times, almost as hard as Dean had. Lily forcibly made Tally sit down on the couch, next to Dean and dangerously close to the hairbrush that had just finished lighting the fire in her butt. Tally couldn’t hold the tears in now.

 

“Mom…”

 

“Don’t ‘mom’ me. You’re off the team.”

 

“No….” Tally started to protest.

 

“Shut up, Tallulah.” Lily snapped, and a stunned Tally and Dean both stared at her with their mouths wide open. “I am sorry that I was never a good mother to you. I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you needed me. Not being here for days when your father died is something that I will never forgive myself for. I hope you can one day. But, and I need you to hear me this time, young lady, I am done with apologizing to you.”

 

Tally’s mouth went up and down, but nothing came out.

 

“I know you hate hunting. And I don’t blame you for that. It is what _I_ like doing with my life. I get to save people’s lives, and to me that’s reason enough to keep going. I gave that up to be here with you because I thought it would make you happy. But you’ve only responded with anger and bitterness and I am fed up with it. Not only are you done with soccer, you are restricted to your room for the next month. You will have to earn every privilege back. There will be no soccer, no playing outside, no video games, no phone calls except once a week to your grandmother and your uncle.”

 

Tally, who was still crying angry tears, crossed her arms over her chest. Lily had one final card to play. It was mean, borderline cruel, but Lily was getting desperate.

 

“Your daddy would be ashamed of you.”

 

The anger Tally had been feeling quite clearly drained out of her quickly. She looked shattered, broken, betrayed. Lily nearly backed down and apologized, got on her knees and begged Tally’s forgiveness. But she didn’t.

 

“You are going to spend this entire hunt in the hotel room thinking about the reasons that he would be ashamed of you. And you will write an apology letter to him for it. Your daddy raised you better than this, and until you do better, you’re on lockdown. Now go to bed. And don’t worry. I won’t bother to come and say goodnight.”

 

Tally stood up, looking thoroughly beaten down and defeated. She wiped her eyes and took a step towards her room.

 

“Don’t forget to say goodnight.” Dean reminded her without thinking about it.

 

“No. If mom doesn’t have to, I don’t.”

 

Dean grabbed Tally, swatted her once more, and what was left of his patience vanished. “I tried to be nice to you here. I tried to treat you like the kid that you are. But since you want to be an adult so bad, I’ll say to you what I’d say to another adult who treated people the way you’ve been doing. Stop being a bitch. Now go to bed, and I don’t want to hear another word out of you.”

 

Dean let her go and Tally ran to her bedroom. When Dean and Lily heard her bedroom door shut, they let out a collective breath.

 

“Were we over the top?” Lily asked.

 

“She needed over the top. She’s got to stop.”

 

“Dean, I know she was way over the line. But calling her…”

 

“I know.” Dean said. He’d regretted what he said to Tally the second it had come out of his mouth. “I’ll apologize to her in the morning.”

 

“Where’s Sammy?”

 

“He’ll meet us there tomorrow. Come on, let’s go to bed.”

 

Lily tried to sleep, but the first tendrils of guilt were beginning to take hold. It made her heart ache, the look on Tally’s face when she’d said what she did about Tally shaming her beloved Daddy. It was far from the truth. Tally had always been a sweet kid, one who was always eager to please the adults in her life. Only after Ken died had Tally’s sweet personality turned sour. She was hurting, aching for her father to come back, and rather than continue to try and find a way to help her and get Tally to trust her again, Lily had taken Tally’s heart, twisted it, and then topped it off by refusing to say goodnight to her. One of the rules that Lily herself had set.

 

Climbing off the bed carefully to avoid waking Dean, Lily pulled on her robe and headed down to Tally’s room. She hoped that Tally would be awake, but knew that wasn’t likely. She’d gone to Tally’s room before actually climbing into bed, planning to tell her goodnight anyway. But she’d found Tally curled up on her bed, still in her clothes, sleeping with a picture of Ken on the pillow next to her. Lily had pulled her blanket over her and left the room. That had been three hours earlier, and now she knew she’d never get to sleep if she didn’t at least kiss Tally.

 

Lily got to Tally’s door, opened it slowly, and tiptoed over to the bed. Tally’s blanket was over her head, and the picture wasn’t in the same spot. Lily assumed Tally had pulled it under the blanket with her. Lily thought about just leaving the room and letting Tally sleep, but for some reason found herself unable to resist pulling the blanket back. At first, she couldn’t process what she was seeing. Where Tally had been sleeping was nothing but a pile of pillows. There was a note addressed to ‘Mom’, which Lily unfolded and scanned through.

 

“DEAN!”

 

Dean appeared at the door a few seconds later, gun drawn. “What? What’s wrong?”

 

Lily handed the note to Dean. “Tally ran away.”

 

**A/N: I know Dean calling Tally a bitch is way off acceptable behavior. Don’t worry. In their next chapter, Sam finds out and chews him out for it.**


	5. Sam and Ellie: Moonshine's Misadventure

**Sam and Ellie: Moonshine’s Misadventure**

“Give him back now, you little brat, before I turn you into a pancake!”

 

Sam sighed deeply. Ten-year-old Ellie and three-year-old Rachel were fighting constantly these days, and it was wearing both him and Amelia down. Ellie wanted her own space, and not to have to ‘carry her little sister around all the time’. Rachel was fascinated with her older sister, wanting to follow her and be just like her. Sam walked down the hallway to mediate yet another argument. He found Ellie in Rachel’s room, towering above her sister with her hands closed in tight fists. Sam quickly got on his knees and separated the two of them.

 

“Okay, you two, what’s going on?”

 

Ellie spoke without ever taking her eyes off a worried looking Rachel, “She took Moonpie and she won’t give him back!”

 

“Rachel, is that true? Did you take Moonpie?”

 

“No, Daddy, I don’t got him.”   


“You’re lying!”

 

Ellie started to dive for Rachel, but Sam was faster. He gently restrained Ellie, pulling her back away from Rachel and keeping a firm hold on her. Ellie fought, struggled to get away from Sam so she could beat the truth out of her thieving little sister.

 

“Stop it, Ellie. Calm down.” Sam said.

 

“Give him back, Rachel! Give him back now!”

 

“Elizabeth Danielle Richardson! Calm down right now before I put you in time out!”

 

Ellie stopped fighting, but kept her fists drawn and her eye on Rachel, as if trying to force her to reveal Moonpie’s location with her mind.

 

“Ellie, look at me.”

 

Ellie reluctantly tore her eyes away from Rachel.

 

“Are you sure you haven’t just lost Moonpie? Did you take him out somewhere?”

 

“I haven’t taken him out of my room. Rachel’s taken him off my bed twice this week and mommy told her to stay out of my room and keep her hands off him. Now he’s missing again.” Ellie couldn’t resist and looked at a nervous Rachel again. “Where is he, Rachel?”

 

“Ellie. Stop.”

“No. She’s lying and I want him back now!”

 

Worried that the now swinging again Ellie would actually make good on her threat and turn Rachel ‘into a pancake’, Sam picked up the lightweight Ellie, told Rachel firmly to stay where she was, then took the struggling Ellie to her room and deposited her on her bed. The second she was free of his grip she made a dive for the door, and Sam grabbed her and pulled her back once more.

 

“Elizabeth, stop it! I mean it! Go after Rachel one more time and you’re stuck in this room the rest of the day.”

 

Ellie forced herself to stop resisting Sam, but her anger and frustration made her shake and made the tears start flowing again. It was the only reason that Sam hadn’t swatted her to calm her down-he could see she was distraught. The normally calm and reasonable Ellie hardly ever got into any kind of fight. She was a born diplomat, much more likely to try and find a solution to problems that would make everyone happy. Not this time.

 

“Ellie, listen. I know you’re upset. But Rachel didn’t take Moonpie.”

 

“Yes, she did.”

 

“Ellie, stop and listen. I want you to search your room again.” Sam said.

 

“I don’t need to search my room. Rachel has him and I want him back.” Ellie stubbornly insisted.

 

Sam took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. He said to Ellie in a calm, measured voice, “You are staying in this room until you calm down. You can search it if you want, but I don’t want you leaving until you’ve calmed down. When you have calmed down, you need to apologize to Rachel.”

 

An indignant Ellie pushed away from Sam and shook her head. “No way.”

 

“Then you stay in this room until you do. You can’t threaten to beat her up and get away with it, I don’t care what you think she did.”

 

“You’re just gonna let her get away with this.” Ellie said tearfully. “You always let her have whatever she wants.”

 

 _She’s just upset,_ Sam reminded himself. “Call me when you’re ready to talk.”

 

Sam left the room and heard the frustrated Ellie punching her pillows on the bed behind him. He headed back to Rachel’s room, where he found Rachel sitting at the pink Paw Patrol table she’d gotten for her third birthday.

 

“Rachel? You okay?”

 

“I’m okay.” Rachel said quietly.

 

“You sure?”

 

Rachel looked down the hall towards Ellie’s room and asked, “Is Sissy still mad at me?”

 

“Does she have a reason to be mad at you?” Sam asked. “Rachel, did you take Moonpie?”

 

“No, Daddy. I don’t have him.”   


“Okay. Well, Sissy has to stay in her room until she calms down. I want you to stay away from her until she does.”

 

“I will.” Rachel promised.

 

“Why don’t you come help me clean up the yard. Mommy’s coming home soon.”

 

Fifteen minutes later, as Sam and Rachel were finishing raking up the leaves in the yard, Amelia pulled up. She had been called to a nearby animal hospital to perform emergency surgery on a dog that had been hit by a car. Sam knew she was in a hurry when she’d left that morning, but couldn’t resist joking with her.

 

“Don’t run off with whoever brought the dog in.” he said as he kissed her goodbye.

 

Amelia got out of the car and walked over to them. “Hey, you two. What’s going on?”

 

“I’s helping Daddy wake leaves!” Rachel announced proudly.

 

“Are you raking them or are you jumping into them after Daddy rakes them up?”

 

“Both.”

 

Amelia laughed and walked to Sam. After a quick kiss, she realized what was missing. “Where’s Ellie?”

 

“She has to stay in her room.”

   
Amelia sighed. “What happened?”

 

“She says Rachel took Moonpie but Rachel denies it.”   


Amelia immediately turned to Rachel and crossed her arms, what Sam called her ‘mommy means business’ pose. “Rachel Leigh, come here right now.”

 

Rachel, recognizing when the fun was over, walked over slowly to her mother. “Yes, Mommy?”

 

“Did you take Moonpie from your sister’s room again?”

 

“I didn’t take him.”

 

“So if I go search your room, top to bottom, I won’t find him?”

 

Rachel froze, put both her hands behind her back, swallowed hard, and looked away from her parents. Sam felt like an idiot.

 

“Let’s get inside.” Amelia said seriously.

 

Amelia walked inside first, followed by a shameful looking Rachel and a regretful Sam. Amelia ordered Rachel to find Moonpie and bring him to them ‘right this second, young lady’, then turned to Sam.

 

“I know she lied to you, but I need you to let me handle this.” Sam nodded, and Amelia called down the hall. “Ellie, come out here, please.”

 

Ellie appeared from her room and Sam hadn’t thought it possible to feel worse. She was wiping her eyes and headed straight for her mother, wrapping both her arms around Amelia’s waist and squeezing. She refused to look at Sam. Amelia murmured something to Ellie which Sam couldn’t quite make out, but sounded suspiciously like ‘mommy’s got this, okay?’. Ellie nodded and squeezed her mom’s waist again.

 

“Rachel, you’ve got to the count of three to be back out here or Daddy’s coming in to get you.”

 

Sam heard Ellie let out a strangled cry again before he saw the reason why. In each of Rachel’s hands was half of Moonpie, with bits of stuffing hanging out from him and one big piece under Rachel’s arm. Amelia had a look of barely restrained anger on her face as she comforted the weeping Ellie, and Sam was simply in shock. He took the pieces of Moonpie from Rachel, pointed to the couch and told her to sit down. Amelia bent down and wiped the slowly calming Ellie’s face.

 

“What happened?” she asked gently.

 

“I went to g…get my sh…shoes to go and h…help rake l…leaves.” Ellie said, every word an effort to get out. “M…Moonpie wasn’t on the b…bed.”

 

“If Rachel took him, why were you in time out?”

 

Sam swallowed. “She threatened to beat up Rachel if she didn’t bring Moonpie back.”

  
Amelia nodded. “Okay. How long has she been in there?”

 

Sam eyed the clock. “About fifteen minutes.”

 

“Okay. Ellie, your punishment’s over. You understand why you were in there, right?”

 

“I know.” Ellie said, then frowned. “Do I have to say sorry?”

 

“Not now.” Amelia said. “Later on, yes, but not right now. Right now, I just want you to sit over in Sam’s chair while he and I talk to Rachel. Okay?”

 

Ellie nodded sadly. “Okay, mommy.”

 

As Ellie took her seat, Amelia went and sat on the couch. Sam sat next to her, and Amelia put the broken pieces of Moonpie on the coffee table in front of them. Rachel still stood next to the front door.

 

“Come here, Rachel.”

 

Rachel shook her head. She was fine where she was; she didn’t want to get any closer than she had to to her angry mother’s hand, in case it decided to reach out and spank her. Or worse, her father decided to do it.

 

“Rachel, come over here. Now.” Sam said. “Don’t make me come and get you.”

 

Rachel swallowed audibly. She definitely didn’t want that. She moved with the speed of a snail towards her parents, until she was standing in front of them. Rachel couldn’t look either of them in the eye, but Amelia didn’t let her get away with that.

 

“Look at me, Rachel.” Rachel peeled her eyes off the floor and finally looked at her mother. “Why did you take Moonpie?”

 

“I just wanted to play with him.”

 

“You have a thousand toys in your room. Ellie gladly lets you play with anything you want, as long as you _ask._ But I told you, and your sister asked you very, very nicely earlier this week, to not touch Moonpie. You deliberately disobeyed me, and you are in big trouble for that. Do you understand me?”

 

“Yes, Mommy.”

 

“How did Moonpie get destroyed?” Sam asked.

 

“We’ll get to that in a minute.” Amelia said. “First thing I want to know is this. Why did you lie to Sissy and to Daddy when they asked you where Moonpie was? Was it to get out of trouble for taking him in the first place?”

 

“No. He was already broken and I didn’t want to hurt Sissy’s feelings. So I hid him under my bed.”

 

“Mm-hmm. Now, back to the million dollar question. How _did_ Moonpie get broken?”

 

“Riot came in my room and took him off my table. I tried to take him back.” Rachel said.

 

“And he ripped?”

 

Rachel nodded. “Yeah. He ripped and all his insides comed out.” Ellie let out a whine, and Rachel looked close to crying herself. “I sorry. I’m really sorry.”

 

“Rachel, eyes on me.” Amelia said sternly. “This isn’t something that can just be fixed with an apology. That bear is very special to your sister. Do you know why?”

 

“No. Why?”

 

“Do you remember the conversation that we had? About how your daddy and Ellie’s daddy are two different people?” Amelia asked.

 

“I remember.”

 

“Do you remember what I told you about him? Why he doesn’t live with us?”   


“Because he went to heaven.”

 

“Right. When Ellie’s daddy was here, he would have to leave for a long time to work. He’d have to travel really far away and there was a chance that he wouldn’t come back. Before he left the last time, he gave Ellie that bear and told her that as long as she held on to it, the two of them would never be apart.” Amelia said. “Do you get it now, Rachel? That bear is the last present Ellie’s daddy gave her before he went to heaven. It’s the only thing she has left of him.”

 

Sam was stunned. He had known Don gave Moonpie to Ellie, but he didn’t know it had been the last thing he ever gave to her. She had only recently stopped taking Moonpie everywhere with her. _Great job, you jerk. You try so hard to get her to accept you and you don’t believe help her when she loses the only thing she has of her dad._

 

“Rachel, listen to me. You are a very blessed little girl to be able to see your daddy whenever you want to. Ellie doesn’t have that. All she has is this bear. And you took that away from her because you wanted to play with him after you were told no.”

 

Despite her mother telling her it wouldn’t do any good, a distraught Rachel apologized again. “I’m sorry.”

 

“I know you are, but like I said, that isn’t good enough.”

 

Rachel squirmed, and believed she knew what was coming. “Am I getting a ‘panking?”

 

“No.” Amelia said. “No, you’re not. You need to understand exactly what you did to your sister today. If she wants, I will let her come up with a punishment for you, since she asked you nicely to stay out of your room and you didn’t listen. But right now, you’re going to your room and staying there. You are not allowed to see or talk to your Daddy until I tell you that it’s okay.”

 

“What?”

 

“You heard me. You are not allowed to see or talk to your Daddy until I tell you it’s okay. Now go to your room, Rachel.” Amelia felt like the meanest mommy in the universe for doing it, but when the heartbroken toddler went to give Sam a hug, Amelia grabbed her shoulder and pointed down the hall. “No hugs, no saying goodbye. Room. Now. And close your door behind you.”

 

Rachel walked to her room crying aloud. Amelia nearly broke hearing it, but she held her ground. When the bedroom door shut behind Rachel, Sam and Ellie both clearly wanted to say something, but Amelia held up both hands to stop them.

 

“I’m only leaving her in there for ten minutes. That’s it. Okay? I swear, just ten minutes.”

 

A relieved Sam nodded, but Ellie seemed unsure. “Just ten minutes?”

 

“That’s it. Ten minutes.” Amelia said. “Come here, bunny.”

 

Ellie walked over and joined Amelia, the sight of Moonpie’s broken body on the table making her eyes swell with even more tears. She usually protested she was too big for it now, but Ellie climbed into her mommy’s lap and let herself be held like a baby.

 

“How you feeling?”

 

Bottom lip wobbling, Ellie answered, “He’s all I got of Daddy.”

 

“I know. But I have a surprise for you.” Amelia said. “Sam, in the closet in the hallway there’s a blue box on the top shelf. You know the one I’m talking about?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Inside it there’s a DVD. Will you bring it to me, please?”

 

“Yeah. Sure.” Sam went and retrieved the DVD and brought it to Amelia. It was labeled ‘to Bunny from Daddy’.

 

“Your Daddy made this before he went on his last deployment. He asked me to wait until your eighteenth birthday to give it to you, but I think you need to see it now.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“You remember when Daddy was gone and it took a really long time for him to get letters from us? That video we made for him? Well, he made one for you too. He talks to you a little bit in it, but he took all the video that I shot of the three of us and he put it together in one pace. So you’d have it forever.”

 

Ellie smiled. “Can we watch it now?”

 

“We sure will. While I operate on Moonpie.”

 

“You mean you can fix him?”

  
“I can’t promise he’ll look exactly the same, but I’ll do everything I can.”

 

“Thank you, Mommy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Ellie exclaimed, throwing both arms around Amelia’s neck.

 

“Anytime, my love.”

 

“Hey, Ellie? I’m really sorry I didn’t believe you earlier.” Sam said.

 

Ellie pulled away from Amelia, smiling for the first time since fighting with Rachel. “It’s okay. Will you watch this with us?”

 

“Of course I will.”

 

“Will you go get Rachel first?” Amelia asked.

 

“Sammy? Thank you.” Ellie said.

 

“For what?”

 

Ellie wiped her face again and explained. “Well, when Daddy died, Mommy and I were really sad and lonely for a long time. I was scared we’d feel that way forever. But I’m not scared anymore. And Mommy’s really happy. Thank you.”

 

It was Sam’s turn to cry now. “Oh, kiddo. You don’t ever have to thank me for that. Not ever. I love you, you know that, right?”

 

“I know. Love you too.”

 

“Why don’t you put the movie in, kiddo? We’ll wait on Sammy to come back.” Amelia suggested.

 

“Mommy? I don’t want to punish Rachel. But can we make her watch with us? I want her to see my daddy.” Ellie asked.

 

“That’s a great idea.” Amelia said. “Go on, put it in.”

 

Two minutes later, Ellie happily pressed play. Don’s face filled the screen, and Ellie’s smile was infectious. She’d been losing her memory of her father, and she hated it. But here he was, in full color and crystal clear sound.

 

“Hi, Ellie bunny. It’s Daddy.”

 

Ellie settled back to listen and watch. “Hi, Daddy.”

 

**Next Chapter: Sam rips into Dean and Lily for what they said to Tally. A secret comes out about Ken’s death that changes everything.**


	6. Dean and Tally: Home is Where the Heart Gets Ripped Out

“What the hell, you two?”

 

Dean winced. His brother was a gentle giant of a man, but when he was angry, he was downright scary. The hunt had turned out to be a bust. What they thought was a group of zombies rising from their graves in a small town had turned out to be nothing more than a massive prank being pulled on the townspeople. Because of this, Sam had already been in a bad mood the night before, having driven nearly seven and a half of the eight hours towards the hunt. But when Dean had called and told him that Tally ran away, Sam’s rare foul mood came out in all its glory.

 

“What happened?”

 

Dean gave him the abridged version of the story, hoping to avoid the part about what happened at the end of the fight. But Sam saw right through it.

 

“What else did you do, Dean?”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Don’t play innocent with me. Tally wouldn’t have run away just because you spanked her and told her she couldn’t go to her game this weekend. Her letter says you called her a mean name. What did you say?”

 

Dean mumbled his answer.

 

“What?”   


“I told her not to be a bitch, okay?”

 

If possible, Sam’s face flushed an even deeper shade of red. He turned to a still Lily, who was holding Tally’s letter to her chest. “And where exactly were you when he was calling your heartbroken eleven-year-old daughter a bitch?”

 

“I was right here.”

 

“And let me guess. You said absolutely nothing.”

  
“I said something after Tally went to bed…”

 

“But not when she was in the room.”

 

“Sam, I know you’re pissed, but we need to find Tally.” Dean said. “Trust me, I don’t feel good about this…”   


“I have Bobby and three other hunters on finding Tally. And I would hope you don’t ‘feel good’ about this, Dean. Because it’s really damn hypocritical of you to get on Tally for how she’s dealing with this when you were such sunshine and roses after Dad died.”

 

“I wasn’t in a bad mood for three months after it.” Dean defended.

 

“The hell you weren’t.” Sam said. “Let me ask you something, Dean. Let’s say Tally’s eighteen. A guy asks her out, but she doesn’t like him and she says no. He calls her a bitch for it. Is that okay?”

 

“Hell, no.”

 

“If she told you about it, what would you do?” Sam asked.

 

“Kick the dude’s ass. But that’s not the same…”

 

“It’s exactly the same. You didn’t like how she was acting so you called her a bitch. And as much as I would love to kick your ass for it, we don’t have time for that. But just think about this. If Dad had heard you say that to Tally, no matter what was going on at the time, how do you think he would feel?” Sam noted the hurt look that crossed Dean’s face, and he decided to drive the point home. “To use Lily’s word, he’d be ashamed of you.” Sam let a moment of heavy silence pass before continuing his verbal beat down. “I just can’t wrap my head around how stupid the two of you are. Did it ever occur to you to just ask her grandmother or her uncle to watch her this weekend until we got back?”

 

“I was scared they wouldn’t bring her back.” Lily said.

 

“After what happened here last night, that might not be the worst thing in the world.” Sam noted the way that Lily cringed, but he had only a miniscule amount of sympathy for her at the moment. “Let me explain something to you, Lily. I get that you need to step up and be her mother. I agree with that. But I know what it feels like to be a child and be told that the person you love the most in the world is ashamed of you because you just want to be a kid and not take the lives of everyone else around you world on your shoulders. It hurts. It hurts in here.” Sam pointed to his heart, and Lily nearly felt the breath leave her body. “I know what that’s like, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”

 

Lily couldn’t speak, only choosing to nod her understanding.

 

“And I’ll tell you this, too. It’s really messed up that the only person to stand up for your daughter is me and not you. Because I don’t think it’s Tally Ken would be ashamed of right now.” Sam was broken out of his rant by the ringing of his cell phone. He quickly answered, thanked the person on the other end, and hung up the phone. “I might have a lead on Tally. Reread that letter while I check it out. Both of you.”

 

Lily pulled the letter away from her chest and opened it up again. There were tear stains on it, ones that she hadn’t left. They were Tally’s, and Lily couldn’t do it. She broke down again, and Dean took the letter from her. He comforted Lily with one hand while rereading the letter with the other.

 

_Mom,_

_I guess you’re right. I must be a really bad person now. Because Daddy never needed to tell me how awful I was or call me mean names or tell me to shut up to talk to me. So, you must be right. I’m nothing but a mean, selfish kid. I’ve never told you that you were a bad mother or called you or Dean names that made you lay in bed and cry, but it’s okay to do it to me. You wanted me to talk to you, so here it goes._

_This weekend wasn’t just about the soccer game. Grandma’s birthday is this weekend. Me and uncle Pete planned a big surprise party for her because she’s been so sad since Daddy died. My job was to keep her occupied at my game while uncle Pete and aunt Gina set up the party. I tried to tell you that when you were in my room, but you kept cutting me off and telling me I had to go and I didn’t have a choice._

_I’m sorry it makes you miserable to be here and take care of me. But I never asked you to do that. Daddy did. You could have said no, but you didn’t. Grandma or uncle Pete would’ve taken care of me, just like they always did when Daddy had to work. So, don’t blame you being miserable on me. I didn’t ask for this, and I didn’t ask you to stay._

_Yes, I’m mad at you for not being here when Daddy died. But that’s not the first time I cried for you and wanted you and you weren’t here. Not even close to the first time. You’ve missed four out of my last five birthdays. And the one you were there for, you showed up the night before and left at six the next morning, before I even woke up. The year before last, I had a huge surprise party planned for you for Mother’s Day. I bought a cake with my allowance, made you a banner, and Daddy helped me make your favorite lunch. Daddy and I got dressed up, and we were waiting for you all day. You promised to pull in the driveway around noon. You were two hours late when you called and said you weren’t coming. Dean was hurt and needed your help._

_There’s a whole lot of other times I wanted you to be here. Christmases you missed, school plays, being sick, breaking my leg when I fell out of the tree at grandma’s. And every time I wanted you and started to get mad or cry, Daddy would sit me down and tell me that if I wanted to get upset with you, I needed to tell him. I needed to cry on his shoulder, tell him how mad I was, and not say anything to you. He always told me that mommy was working hard to make me safe from the bad things in the world, and that was why she couldn’t be home with me very much. If I wasted time when she was here telling her how mad I was, instead of being happy to see her, I’d regret it._

_Well, like you and Dean tell me every time I want to do something I did while Daddy was here, Daddy’s not here anymore. Do you really think I need you guys to remind me of that? I was there. I saw him die. I had his blood on me when the paramedics told me that he was dead, all the way to the time uncle Pete picked me up at the police station. I know Daddy’s not here. I still wake up in the middle of the night wanting him and he’s not here. I pick up the phone to call him. I go to his room and you and Dean are sleeping in there. I even called his old office at the college one day to ask him for help with a science question. Dr. Miles, Daddy’s old boss, picked up and helped me with my homework before I realized why Daddy didn’t answer the phone._

_I know it’s hard for you to believe, but I am sorry for how I’ve been acting with you and Dean. But you two really scared me. You just showed up out of nowhere and took over. Daddy was here one week, then after we have his funeral a couple of days later, you both just try to take his place. You changed around every rule Daddy had in place, and made a bunch of new ones. Dean keeps saying he’s not taking over for Daddy, but he’s telling me what to do all the time and sleeping in Daddy’s room and getting mad at me when I can’t keep up with all the new rules he put in place. I love Dean, but this isn’t his home. It’s mine and Daddy’s. That doesn’t mean I want him to leave, but I need him to back off. A lot._

_You asked me the night we argued about soccer to give you some time to meet my teachers and friends and coaches. I need time to trust you enough to be my mom. I don’t say that to hurt you, but after so long of just a few short visits a year I need time too. That is, I need time if you decide you want me back._

_I guess that’s it. I need to leave so I can get a head start before you and Dean wake up._

_-Tally_

Dean’s mind was reeling. It hit him hard that Tally was right. She had never cursed at him, and she had never said anything outrightly mean to Lily. She had only reacted when the two of them attempted to enforce parental authority that, he hated to admit, neither of them had earned. They had stood on the sidelines for the first eleven years of her life, then shown up at the worst time and expected to take over. Had he really been so clueless? Had he tried so hard to give Tally a dad that he ended up losing her completely?

 

“Dean. Get over here. You need to see this.”

 

Sam rudely broke Dean out of his thoughts. He was sitting in the chair in the living room, his laptop in front of him, looking at something. Dean got up and walked over.   
  
“What is it?”

 

“Security camera footage from the night Ken died.”

 

“What? How did you get that?” Dean asked. “I thought there wasn’t any footage.”

 

“No, there was footage on a security camera from the building next door. The police never used it because the guy pleaded guilty. I had a feeling the way she’s been acting had something to do with Ken’s death. So I asked the cops for the video footage. Watch.

 

Lily watched Dean as the video unfolded. She couldn’t bring herself to watch it, especially when Dena’s face slowly registered horror at whatever he saw.

 

“Son of a bitch.”

 

“Dean? What? What is it?”

 

“The guy that mugged them that night. He pointed the gun at Tally. Ken jumped in front of her. He saved her life and he died for it.”

 

At a campsite miles away from the warm, comfortable house where Sam, Dean, and Lily were discussing Tally, Tally herself was exhausted. She had taken the small, lightweight tent that Ken kept in the garage and her sleeping bag, but nothing else. She had ridden a bus as far as she could with what little money she had in her pocket, then hitchhiked the rest of the way. It had been two in the morning when she left the house, and by six, she had set up her tent and was deep in an exhausted sleep.

 

The entire time she slept, she dreamed. Dreamed of days where she’d been to this camp with her Daddy, fishing and playing and sleeping under the stars. Days where she’d run to him and he’d picked her up and flung her in the air or spun her around, making her feel like she was flying. Days when she’d been sick and felt miserable, or scared and lonely, only to have all the bad feelings taken away when her Daddy pulled her into his lap and gave her a great big hug. Then, her dream turned. Daddy was calling her, but she couldn’t see him. She called back, but he just kept calling her name. Suddenly, someone grabbed her shoulder and shook it, hard.

 

“Tally. Tally Belle, wake up.”

 

Tally’s eyes snapped open and she jumped. Someone was in the tent with her. When she saw who it was, she couldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be true.

 

“Daddy?”

 

**Next chapter: Grandpa Jack and Sam wonder who Lily will choose to take her to a father/daughter dance.**


	7. Sam and Ellie: Topsy Turvy

The day was fast approaching. Ellie was happy for her mother, but she was nervous. Really nervous.

 

Though Sam and Amelia had been together for close to six years, they’d never officially married. Sam had taken them all on a family trip the weekend after school got out, and, with Ellie’s blessing, had proposed to Amelia the last night of the trip. Amelia, of course, said yes, and the majority of the summer had been devoted to wedding preparations. Amelia made sure to involve twelve-year-old Ellie every step of the way, getting her input on dresses, flowers, music, food, and the like. The only possible stumbling block so far had come in the form of Ellie’s unexpected request. She didn’t quite know how to explain what she wanted, but Amelia picked up the basics of it.

 

“It’s okay if you don’t really want to. But will you think about keeping your last name that you’ve got now _and_ taking Sammy’s? Rachel’s got Sammy’s name and I’ve got yours and Daddy’s. But Daddy’s not here anymore, and if you drop your last name…”

 

Amelia had stopped Ellie’s rambling request, promising to talk to Sam about it. Little did they know, Sam had been listening from the hallway.

 

“It’s okay, Ellie. If your mom agrees to it, it’s okay with me.”

 

“Can I add your name too?” Ellie asked.

 

A stunned Amelia watched as Sam’s eyes filled with grateful tears at Ellie’s simple request.

 

“Sammy, are you okay?” Ellie asked worriedly. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

 

“He’s crying because he’s happy, baby.” Amelia explained.

 

“Really?”

 

Sam moved from the hallway to the couch next to Ellie. “I would love for you to take my name. If that’s really, _really_ what you want.”

 

Ellie nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been thinking about asking for a while. But I didn’t know how you’d feel about it.”

 

“Is there a reason you want to?”

 

Ellie shrugged. “I just wanted to make it official.”

 

“Make what official?”

 

“Us being family.” Ellie said. “Me being your kid, you being my Sammy.”

 

“Come here.” Sam grabbed Ellie into a tight hug. “We’ll start the paperwork for you after your mom and I come back from our honeymoon.”   


“Okay.” Ellie said. “I love you, Sammy.”

 

“Love you too, kiddo.”

 

Though Ellie had meant it when she said she wanted to take Sam’s name, she still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Something was going to happen to mess up the wedding. But she didn’t want to worry Sam and her mother, so she kept her feelings to herself.

 

There was exactly one week left before the wedding. Ellie was excited, and for once, she had put her worries behind her. She was arguing with Rachel over which of them would be the best dancer at the reception. Grandpa Jack came up with the idea to have a dance off between the two of them, with Amelia refereeing and Sam and Jack serving as judges. Amelia had finally agreed to the idea when the phone in the kitchen rang.

 

“Alright, go to the living room, I’ll be there soon.” Amelia grabbed the phone off the wall in the kitchen, smiling at the laughs and giggles coming from the living room. “Hello?”

 

 When Amelia came back into the room, Ellie knew right away that her bad feeling was coming true. “Mommy, what’s wrong?”

 

Sam and Jack looked up and both noticed how pale Amelia looked. “Honey? What is it?” Jack asked. He hadn’t seen Amelia that pale since she’d told him Don was dead.

 

“Girls, go play outside.”

 

“What about the dance contest?” Rachel asked.

 

“Girls, go. Now.” Amelia said.

 

“Come on, Rachel.” Ellie said, grabbing Rachel’s hand. “We’ll have it outside.”

 

“Thank you, Ellie.” Amelia said.

 

When the two girls were in the front yard and the door was shut behind them, Amelia exhaled hard and sat between Jack and Sam. She buried her face in her hands and tried to gather her thoughts. Her brain was still spinning and her heart thumped hard in her chest.

 

“Babe? What is it?”

 

Amelia looked up and recited what the army doctor had told her on the phone, though she still couldn’t believe it. “That was an army doctor at, um, the hospital in Waco. Um, they have a coma victim that woke up today.”

 

“Okay…” Jack said. “What’s that got to do with you?”

 

“It’s Don.” Amelia said, her voice cracking. “Don’s alive.”

 

 


	8. Dean and Tally: Lost and Alone

Tally stared, unable to believe what she was looking at. There was Daddy, looking down at her and smiling, just like he did when he was alive. He looked happy, like he was glad to see her and ready to hug and kiss her.

 

“Better close that mouth, you’re gonna catch flies.”

 

“Daddy?” Tally said again. “Is that really you?”

 

“It’s really me, Tally Belle. How’s my girl?”

 

“DADDY!”

 

Tally threw off her sleeping bag and jumped into her father’s waiting arms. He felt real, he smelled real, and Tally knew then that she’d never let him go.

 

“Daddy…”

 

“Shhh. It’s okay, my girl. I’m here.” Ken took a seat at the corner of the tent, holding Tally as he sat. “I’m here.”

 

“Daddy, how are you back?” Tally asked, pulling away just far enough to look at her father’s face. “How are you here?”

 

“Don’t worry about that, sweetness. Why are you out here alone?”

 

Ken’s question immediately extinguished all the joy Tally had felt when she saw her father at first. The memories of her being punished the night before and Lily and Dean both telling her how awful she was being filled her heart and made her hurt all over again. She looked down and played with a button on the shirt that Ken was wearing, a sure sign that she was feeling bad about something.

 

“Hey. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

 

“I don’t wanna tell you.” Tally said quietly.

 

“Please?” Ken asked. “I want to know why you’re so sad. I can see it in your face.”

 

“I’m sad ‘cause you’re gone.” Tally said. “You’re gone and you’re never coming back.”

 

“Tally? How long have I been your Daddy?”

 

Tally smiled. “Forever.”

 

“That’s right. Means I can tell when you’re not telling me something. Now let’s try this again. Why are you out here alone?”

 

“I ran away from home.”

 

“Why did you do that?” Ken asked.

 

“I’ve been awful, Daddy.” Tally said, her voice cracking.

 

“What do you mean, you’ve been awful?”

 

“Everybody’s trying so hard to make me feel better. Mom’s trying to do better and I won’t let her and Dean’s getting mad at me all the time and I can’t stop snapping at him…”   


“Tally, take a breath, honey.” Ken pushed back Tally’s disheveled hair. “I’m sorry it’s been so rough for you. But I think I might know the real reason why.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Are you mad at me, Tally?” Ken asked.

 

“No.”

 

“It’s okay if you are.” Ken said gently. “Being angry at someone doesn’t mean you don’t still love them.”

 

“I’m not mad at you.” Tally insisted, though she couldn’t look Ken in the eye when she said it. “I miss you, but I’m not mad.”

 

“Tally. Look at me.” Ken waited patiently as Tally lifted her eyes to him. “I know I always told you to not waste telling your mother you were mad at her. But that doesn’t apply to me. I want you to be honest. Are you mad at me?”

 

“No, Daddy.” Tally said again.

 

“Okay. But I want you to make me a promise.”   


“Anything.”

 

“Promise me that if you are,” Tally started to argue with him again, but Ken placed a finger on her mouth to stop her objection, “I said _if_ you are, I want you to promise me that you’ll talk to someone about it.”

 

“ _If_ I was, I’d want to talk to _you_ about it.”

 

 

Ken laughed heartily.

 

“What’s so funny?”

 

“Nothing, baby.” Ken said as he calmed down. “Nothing.”

 

“Mom and Dean don’t want me anymore. That’s why I ran away.”

 

Ken sighed. “I promise that’s not true.”

 

“Yes, it is.” Tally said. “Why would they want me back after how I treated them?”

 

“I have a story to tell you.” Ken said. “You don’t remember this because you were just a baby, but after your mom left, I was really mean to you for a couple of weeks.”

 

“You’ve never been mean to me.”

 

Ken chuckled. “I have been. See, when your mom left, I was really hurt. I felt like she was choosing hunting over you and me and it made me really angry.”

 

“It did?” Tally asked. “You always told me she wanted to protect us.”

 

“She did. But I didn’t understand how her leaving could protect us. And I was worried about how I could be a good Daddy to you without your mom around.”

 

“You thought you were a bad Daddy?” Tally asked, amazed. “You were the best!”

 

“That’s nice of you to say, sweetie. But when I was trying to figure out how to take care of you on my own, I was snapping at you when you cried, yelling at you when you wouldn’t go to sleep, and I wouldn’t pick you up.”

 

“How did you stop?”

 

“Well, your grandma came over one day. She saw me yell at you when you dropped your bottle on the floor by accident. You hadn’t quite learned how to hold it yourself, but you were trying. Anyway, when you dropped it, it fell hard enough it broke, and I didn’t know where your other ones were. I yelled at you and your grandma went, um, crazy.”

 

It was Tally’s turn to laugh. Her grandmother was one of the gentlest, kindest people she’d ever met. “What did she do?”

 

“She told me if I ever yelled at you again for something that stupid, she’d turn me inside and upside down. She picked you up and comforted you, then made me drive to the store and buy you some more bottles. Then, when I came back, she made me hold you until my arms got tired.”

 

“Why did she do that?”

“Because you sat there and stared at me. Played with my face, my shirt, smiled at me. It made me realize that even though I was hurting, I still had you. I was still blessed.” Ken wiped away the tears that started falling again from Tally’s face. “Whatever happened last night with your mom and Dean, I think you know that they still love you.”

 

“I know.”

 

“You know, but…?”

 

Tally shook her head and looked away.

 

“Tally, please. Tell me.” Ken prodded. “I can’t help if I don’t know what’s bothering you.”

 

“Mom said you’d be ashamed of me.” Tally whispered.

 

“Mom said what?”

 

“That you’d be ashamed of me.” Tally said again, slightly louder. “Because of the way I’d been acting.”   
  
“Look at me.”

 

Tally refused. “No.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I don’t want to see if they’re right.”

 

“Tallulah Belle, look up at me. Now.” Ken said, with no anger or firmness, only gentleness. He grabbed Tally’s chin and forced it up to look at him. “That is not true. I am not ashamed of you. I never could be. You are my heart, Tally Belle. You hear me?”   


“I hear you.” Tally said.

 

“I’m sorry I left you. I tried to hang on.”   


“I know.” Tally said. “I know you did. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

 

“Shh. Don’t ever be sorry for that. You were so brave that night. Braver than anyone I’ve ever met.”

 

“I wasn’t brave. I was scared.” Tally said. “If I’d been brave, he never would have hurt you.”

 

“But he would’ve hurt _you_. And I never would have been able to live with myself. But after he did hurt me, you grabbed my phone and called 911 and held my hand. You kept me from being afraid.”

“I did?”

 

“Yes, you did.” Ken said. “Why don’t you get some sleep?”

 

Tally looked outside the tent and noticed it was still dark. “I thought the sun would’ve come up by now.”   


“It did. It’s been a whole day, Tally Belle.”

 

Had she been less upset, Tally might have taken more notice at what Ken said. It felt like it had only been a few minutes since she woke up. But something else took hold. Tally started shivering, crossing her arms over her chest.

 

“Daddy, why’s it so cold?”

 

“Lean in, baby. Daddy’ll keep you warm.”

 

Tally leaned forward, resting against Ken’s chest. Ken pulled the blanket over her, and for the first time in months, Tally felt completely safe.

 

“CLEAR!”

 

Dr. Samson shocked the little girl again. She couldn’t have been older than twelve, and had been brought in a few minutes earlier. Someone had hit the poor kid with a car and driven off. Hit and runs always bothered the doctor. He believed if you made a mistake, own up to it in the moment and move on. But this hit and run was even worse. Not only had the driver driven off after hitting the girl, they’d gotten out of the car, dragged her off the road, and hidden her in the bushes outside the camp site _then_ driven off. Thankfully, the second shock brought the little girl back, and the relieved doctor put the paddles away. He started to give the nurses instructions on how to care for the girl, when he noticed her lips moving. Dr. Samson bent down and pressed his ear close to her so he could try to make out what she was saying.

 

“Daddy…”

 

Dr. Samson frowned. “Don’t worry, sweetie. We’ll get you back to your daddy.”


	9. Sam and Ellie: Too Good to be True?

Ellie couldn’t help it. She was mad. Really mad.

 

She was twelve years old. She was old enough to be told when something bad was going on. It also made her feel stupid when her parents told her that everything was okay and that ‘mom and grandpa were just leaving to check something else’.

 

 _Well, duh._ Ellie thought but was wise enough not to say. _Of course you’re going to check something out. What is it?_

 

Ellie and Rachel had been staying with Sam for the week. Since Ellie was out of school and Rachel had not started yet, they were both home with him all day. Sam, who worked as a handyman in the apartment building Amelia and Ellie had been living in when she and Sam met, was not used to the both of them being home for days at a time. Rachel enjoyed going to work with Daddy, but Ellie was considerably less thrilled.

 

“I’m _twelve._ I can stay by myself for an hour. Please?”

 

But Sam wouldn’t have it, and at least once a day she was dragged from the house and forced to entertain Rachel while he worked. Ellie swore to herself she would never take her mother’s offers to help her at the animal hospital for granted again. But, other than the minor complaining when he first told her she had to go, Ellie came along easily enough.

 

Sam knew she was frustrated. He understood. She was twelve, was out of school, and wanted to enjoy her school break. She wanted to ride her bike, go see her friends, do whatever it was that twelve-year-old girls wanted to do, not hang out with him and her little sister. It didn’t bother Sam that she didn’t want to hang out with him. But Sam was scared. He hadn’t said anything to Amelia. She had enough to worry about herself. But the fear was crushing. Amelia had loved Don. She believed, until she thought he was dead, that he was her soulmate. Would she leave Sam and go back to Don, now that he was alive and apparently well?

 

“Sammy?”

 

Sam looked to the hallway, where Ellie was standing in her pajamas. Sam’s throat tightened when he saw that she was holding Moonpie in her hands. She only held him now when she was sick, scared, or worried. A bitter thought crossed his mind. _She won’t need him soon._ Forcing the bitterness down, Sam smiled.

 

“Hey. You okay?”

 

“I can’t sleep. Can I sit with you?”

 

“Of course you can. Come on.”

 

Ellie walked over and sat next to him on the couch, then surprised Sam when she wrapped both arms around his waist and held on like she thought he was going to float away. Sam offered a comforting hand and smoothed down her hair, just like he did for Rachel when she was upset. He waited to see if she would start talking, but Ellie offered nothing.

 

“Why can’t you sleep?”

 

“No reason.”

 

“You sure?” Sam asked. “Sounds like a lot of reason if it’s keeping you awake.”

 

Ellie sighed. Sam had deflected the question when she’d asked before, but she decided it was worth another attempt. “Why did Mom and Grandpa leave?” Ellie felt Sam take a deep breath before answering. “And please don’t tell me it’s to take care of something.”

 

“It’s nothing to worry about.” Sam said flatly.

 

“Then why can’t you tell me?” Ellie asked. “You can tell me not to worry all you want, it won’t stop me from doing it.”

 

Sam smiled. “I know, sweetie. I’m sorry. But your mom doesn’t want me to say anything until she comes back.”

 

“When will she?”

 

“She called after I put you guys to bed and said they were coming back tomorrow. They should be here before dinner.”   


“Sammy? Are you and mom breaking up?” Ellie asked. It was the only thing she’d been able to think of that might make her mom leave.

 

Sam’s heart twisted painfully at the question. “Why would you ask that?”

 

“It’s the only reason I can think of. I already lost one dad, I don’t want to lose you too…”

 

“Hey, hey, hey. Shh, none of that, now.” Sam was swallowing his own painful tears as he wiped away Ellie’s. “Listen to me. No matter what is going on, you will never, never lose me.”

 

“That’s not a no.”

 

Unable to avoid the question anymore, Sam sighed. “I don’t know, kiddo. I just don’t know. But even if we did, I’m telling you, I will always be here for you. Always.”

 

“Not just because of Rachel, right?” Ellie asked. “You’d still love me even if she wasn’t here?”

 

“I’m gonna tell you something that a good friend of mine said to me. Family doesn’t end with blood.”

 

“What does that mean?” Ellie asked.

 

“It means that family isn’t who you’re related to by blood. It’s who’s in here.” Sam pointed to Ellie’s heart to emphasize his point. “And you know who’s in here for me?”

 

“Me and Rachel?”

 

“You _and_ Rachel.”

 

“Okay.” Ellie said.

 

“Feel better?”

 

“A little.”

 

“If you swear you won’t tell Rachel I let you stay up late, you can stay here until you fall asleep.”

 

“Deal.”

 

Ellie eventually fell asleep on the couch, and instead of carrying her to bed or making her wake up and go back to her own bed, Sam stayed there and watched her sleep. He wished he could stop time and keep everything frozen. Rachel asleep in her room just down the hall, Ellie sleeping next to him cuddled up with Moonpie, and he and Amelia still together. Sam wasn’t naïve enough to think that she would still want to get married that weekend. He just hoped it would happen at all.

 

The next day crawled for Ellie. She answered the phone both times her mom called and tried to get clues as to what was going on without actually asking what was going on. Amelia was sharp, though, and would only tell her ‘we’ll be home soon’. Finally, Ellie heard the car pull up and could barely restrain herself. Amelia had given her strict instructions to stay inside and not meet her and Jack at the car. Ellie waited impatiently as Amelia greeted Rachel and Sam, then finally asked the question.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

Amelia turned to Rachel and said, “Rachel, go outside with grandpa, okay? Daddy and I need to talk to Ellie alone.”

 

“Okay, Mommy.”

 

Rachel ran outside and Amelia took her seat next to Ellie. Sam sat on the other side of her, and Ellie could no longer hold it in.

“Will you guys please tell me what’s going on?”

 

“Okay, sweetie. I’m sorry, I know you’ve bene waiting. I just couldn’t tell you this over the phone.” Amelia had been waiting for this moment all week, and now that it was here, she didn’t know how to say it. “The call I got last week, the night we were supposed to have that dance contest, was from an army hospital.”

 

“Army hospital? Was it about Daddy?”

 

“Yes. It seems that there was a mistake when they told us that your Daddy died.”

 

“Mistake? What kind of mistake?”

 

“Well, your Daddy went missing and they never found his body. What actually happened was that your Daddy was sent on a mission by himself and he got hurt. The other soldiers he was working with couldn’t find him. He was found by another group of soldiers. They picked him up and tried to treat him, but he wouldn’t wake up. So they sent him home to the hospital that called me.”

 

Amelia was trying to keep the explanation as simple as possible without skipping any important details. She could see Ellie’s brain working, and she saw the moment that Ellie figured out what she was trying to say.

 

“Daddy’s alive?”

 

Amelia nodded. “Yes. He is.”

 

“Where is he?”

 

“He’s outside with your grandpa.”

 

Ellie was off the couch before Amelia even finished talking. She threw open the door and ran outside screaming ‘Daddy’ before Sam and Amelia even had time to get off the couch. By the time the two of them stood on the front porch, Ellie’s legs were wrapped around Don’s hips and her arms were wrapped around his neck. Rachel was clapping and Jack was laughing. Only when Amelia and Sam had walked over to join them did Ellie show any sign of letting go of her father.

 

“Baby girl, you gotta let me go.”

 

“No.” Ellie said, and Sam could hear that she was laughing and crying at the same time. “If I let you go, you’ll go away again.”

 

“I won’t. I promise. But you’re choking me a little, kiddo.” Don said gently.

 

Ellie reluctantly let him go, but held onto his waist. “Daddy, you’re back.”

 

“I’m back, baby.” Don said. “I’m back.”

 

“Daddy, look.” Rachel said, grabbing Sam’s hand and pointing at Don and Ellie. “Sissy’s got her Daddy too. She’s not sad anymore.”

 

As worried as Sam had been about losing his family, he couldn’t help but smile. “That’s right, baby. She’s not sad anymore.”

 

“Daddy, where are you staying?” Ellie asked.

 

“He’s gonna stay with me until he finds his own place, honey.” Jack said.

 

“Can I go too?”

 

Jack started to answer, then looked to Amelia.

 

“Honey, you’ve got school starting soon…”

 

“It’s Wednesday. School starts Monday. Mommy, please. It’s been six _years._ I just want a few days.” Ellie begged.

 

Amelia sighed. “Dad?”

 

“Of course she can stay.”

 

“Alright. You can stay until Sunday night. But you have to be back at bedtime Sunday.”

 

“What about after?” Ellie asked. “I’ll still be able to see you, right?”

 

“Of course you will.” Don said. “But your mom’s right. School’s important. You’ll still see me after you start school, I promise.”

 

“Okay.” Ellie said. “Mommy, can he stay for dinner?”

 

“I was counting on it.” Amelia said. “You remember Daddy’s favorite dinner?”

 

“Um….” Ellie closed her eyes for a moment, then looked up to Don. “Steak and eggs?”

 

“You got a good memory.”

 

“Come on, let’s go get it started.” Amelia said, gathering everyone into the house.

 

A few hours later, Sam was lying awake in bed, waiting on Amelia to join him. He was still worried about Ellie’s earlier question. It rang through his head and refused to let him rest. _Are you and mom gonna break up?_ He understood Ellie’s anxiety now. Wondering whether or not your family would be intact left your heart feeling like there was a hole in it.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”

 

“I’m sure you are.” Sam said. “How was the trip?”

 

“Interesting.” Amelia flipped off the light and joined him in the bed. “But that’s not really what you wanted to ask me about.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean you’re worried about something else that you’re not telling me about.” Amelia said. “What is it?”

 

“Ellie asked me a question last night and I didn’t know what to say. Because I didn’t know the answer myself.” 

 

“What was it?”

 

“She asked if we were breaking up.”

 

Amelia frowned. “Is that what you’ve been worrying about?”

 

“Well, yes, honestly.” Sam said. “I mean, I hope you don’t, but I’d get it if you went back to Don…”

 

“Stop.” Amelia said, placing a finger on Sam’s lip. “Stop. I’ll be honest, I thought about it. But part of the reason Dad and I were gone for so long is that Don and I talked about things before we came home. I wanted it all to be settled before we brought him back here back into Ellie’s life.”

 

“That’s smart.”

 

“Anyway, like I said, I did think about it. But I was going for a walk and I got to thinking about years from now. When Ellie’s going to college, when Rachel goes on her first date, both the girls getting married. I started thinking about all that, and the person I saw standing there with me was _you._ I love Don, but you are my future. Okay?”

 

“More than okay.” Sam said. “It’s perfect.”

 

“And just to settle your mind, nothing happened between me and Don. All we did was talk.”

 

Sam nodded. He didn’t want to admit it, but he had been worried about that.

 

“And about the wedding? Since Don wasn’t officially declared dead, he and I have got to divorce. So that’s gonna take a few months. But I do still want to get married. Okay? We good?”

 

“We’re amazing.” Sam said.

“And I’ll talk to Ellie when she comes home. Let her know that everything’s okay.”

 

“Sounds like a plan.”

 

“Did you see how happy she was?” Amelia asked.

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile that much.”

 

Sam’s words about Ellie’s smile would come back to bite him. The first few days after Don’s return was relatively normal. Don picked her up from school each day, spent an hour or so with her, then repeated the process the next day. Ellie spent Friday night to Sunday night with Jack and Don, and Sam started to believe that everything would be okay. But on the Saturday night of Ellie’s second weekend with her father and grandfather, he and Amelia were enjoying a date night. Mrs. Quimby was taking care of Rachel, and Sam was finishing up a bag of popcorn for the two of them to watch a movie. With no warning, the front door flew open, and Ellie ran in towards her bedroom. An angry looking Jack walked in and a regretful Don followed after Ellie.

 

“Ellie, come on, honey…”

 

“GO AWAY!” Ellie screamed, throwing something out towards Don before slamming her bedroom door. Sam was shocked to see that Ellie had thrown out Moonpie.

 

“What in the hell is going on?” Amelia asked, too in shock to say anything at first.

 

Don had picked up Moonpie from the floor, and Jack closed the front door behind him. “This _idiot_ ,” Jack seethed, looking towards Don, “is trying to reenlist.”

 

**A/N: In case anyone reading this is a veteran or current soldier, or has family members who have or are currently serving in the armed forces, please know that my intention with Jack’s last line “This _idiot_ is trying to reenlist” is _not_ to insult anyone for their military service. I have nothing but the utmost respect for anyone serving in the military. My intention is to portray Ellie as a child who is intensely proud of her father’s service, but she is heartbroken at the thought of possibly losing him again after having just got him back. Amelia and Jack are worried about her becoming depressed again, which is the reason they are (and will be) so angry at Don. I hope that makes sense, and in case anyone does fall into the categories I mentioned above, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul for your service. **


	10. Dean and Tally: Between Life and Happiness

It sounded like one of the big words that Sam sometimes used when he’d start rambling. Dean hated it when Sam would talk like that, but when he did, Dean knew there was usually a point. And he knew what the point was now. But Dean rolled the word over and over in his mind again and again. And he hated it every time.

 

Introspection.

 

When they’d first gotten word that Ken had died, Tally hadn’t even crossed Dean’s mind. He thought about the past hunts that he and Ken had been on, over a decade earlier. Ken’s instincts, to Dean, had been second only to Sam’s. Then they’d met Lily, and the four of them had spent a couple of years hunting together. Lily had gotten pregnant, and the two of them married. After a few rocky months, Lily came back to Sam and Dean and Ken stayed behind with Tally.

 

When Dean did think of Tally, though his heart went out to her, he wasn’t sure at first how to help. Dean had lost people before, plenty of them, but one thing he knew for sure was that there was nothing that could be said to make the loss better. So, Dean had come up with a plan. Help Lily raise Tally. Keep her life as close to normal as they could. Make her follow rules, go to school, and be there for her. Be a parent.

 

As things so often did in Dean’s life, his plan blew up in his face. Tally was so angry, so resistant, so irritable that any attempt Dean made to help her or reach out to her was met with hostility and bitterness. Dean’s patience began to wear thin, and he met Tally with the same hostility she gave him. Lily tried to mediate, but would back down easily when Dean reminded her they couldn’t ‘let her get away with bad behavior’.

 

His intentions were good. They really were. But, as the saying went, the path to hell was paved with good intentions.

 

Dean knew that he should have known something was wrong with Tally from the beginning. Something other than just missing Ken. He thought about the sweet kid Tally had been before. The one that would raise her arms up high begging him to pick her up and play with her. The one who would convince him to give her bites of his pie when he wouldn’t even share it with Lily. The one who begged him, and not her mother or father, to take her to her first day of kindergarten. The one who asked him, at five years old and in her very best grown up voice, to ‘please take care of mommy and make sure she comes back to me’.

 

That kid wouldn’t have just disappeared. Dean liked to play tough, pretending that his ‘no chick flick moments’ rule was set in stone. The drive to Ken’s brother’s house to pick up Tally had been spent thinking that he’d hug her a few times, tell her that everything would be okay, and it would be over. Life would go on. But when your whole life has been turned on its foundations, broken with a sledgehammer, and all the pieces put back in the wrong place, there was no life goes on.

 

Dean’s mind kept going back to two nights before. Tally’s bitterness when he’d punished her for basically wanting to be the kid she was supposed to be in the first place. Reminding her that Ken was gone and her life would never be the same, as if stabbing her in the heart and twisting the knife around would help fix what Dean had deemed her ‘bad attitude’. Dean remembered what it was like to find out that John had saved his life and died in the process. If he, an adult well into his forties, could barely stomach years later, how could he expect Tally to deal with it in three months?

 

Dean came to the conclusion with the speed of a racing snail, but the force of it nearly toppled him over.

 

Dean was a dick.

 

Tally had been missing for thirty-six hours. Lily was on the couch, laying down. She’d dozed off a half hour earlier after not sleeping for nearly a full day, and as bad as things were, Dean hoped she stayed asleep. It wasn’t easy with Ken’s brother in the house, railing about what a bad mother she was for driving Tally to run away and allowing Dean to parent her, and Ken’s mother, who kept checking on Lily and asking if she was okay. Dean wondered what Lily was dreaming about, and if he’d known, he would’ve felt even guiltier.

 

_Seven Years Earlier_

_Lily rolled into the driveway, the fatigue from the hunt she’d just left behind nearly overtaking her. Ken had asked her to wait a day before coming, but the hunt had been rough and she needed to see Tally. Even if it meant just looking in on her and watching her sleep. Lily walked up the stairs and opened the front door. It was nine-thirty at night, and Lily was shocked when she heard it._

_“Mommy!”_

_Tally was a bullet, racing into her mother’s arms before Lily even noticed she was there. Lily picked her up and held her tight, Tally nearly suffocating her mother with the grip on her neck. Lily looked to an annoyed Ken and mouthed ‘I’m sorry’._

_“Mommy, you’re here!”_

_“I am here. What are you still doing up? I was gonna surprise you at breakfast in the morning.”_

_“Mom decided it was a good idea to give her cake. After dinner. Way after dinner.” Ken said._

_“I see.” Lily said. She turned, amused, to the hyperactive Tally who was practically bouncing on her mom’s hip. “Have you been running Daddy ragged?”_

_“Nope. I been running myself.”_

_“Well, if it’s okay with your Daddy, how about you come into the guest room with me, and we’ll watch a movie together? Whatever you want.”_

_“Trust me, Daddy’s more than okay with it.” Ken said, relieved to finally have a break. He walked over and kissed Tally’s cheek. “Good night, my love.”_

_“Good night, lovey dovey.” Tally said, grabbing her father’s face with both hands and kissing both his cheeks. “Loves you.”_

_“Loves you more.” Ken said. “Sleep well with mommy, okay?”_

_“’Kay. Sleep good, Daddy.” When Ken was gone to his room, Tally turned back to her mother. “Mommy, I gets to watch a whole movie with you? Really?”_

_“Really.” Lily said, trying to ignore the painful twisting of her heart. Tally shouldn’t be so excited to spend two hours with her mother. “Mommy needs a shower first. Why don’t you pick a movie, and I’ll put it on when I get out.”_

_“I do it, Mommy.” Tally said eagerly. “Mommy, is you here for a while?”_

_“I’m here for a day or two, honey. I’m not sure yet.”_

_“You be here when I wakes up tomorrow?”_

_Lily’s heart twisted again. “Yes, I’ll be here when you wake up in the morning. In fact, I’ll hold you while you sleep if you want. So I’m the first thing you see when you get up.”_

_Tally’s toothy smile came out in all its glory, and Lily’s heart untwisted a little. It was exactly what she’d come to see. “I likes that, Mommy.” Tally wrapped her arms around Lily’s neck again. “I loves you.”_

_“Oh my baby. I love you too.”_

“I’m glad someone can get some sleep.”

 

Lily was roused out of her sleep by Ken’s voice. “Wha…?”

 

“I said, I’m glad someone can get some sleep while _your kid_ is missing.”

 

Lily felt Dean place a hand on her shoulder and hand her a glass. “Here you go, sweetie.”

 

“Thanks.” Lily said, taking a drink.

 

“Dude, take it easy.” Dean said.

 

“No. No, I won’t take it easy.” Pete had been pacing the room for almost the entire twenty hours they’d been at the house. “Not when mom and I are the only ones here who seem to care.”

 

Lily, eyes bleary with the tears she’d been crying when she went to sleep, was too tired to react. “She’s my daughter.”

 

“She’s your daughter right now.”

 

“What does that mean?” Lily asked.

 

“She wasn’t your daughter all those times she was sick or hurt and Ken was the one taking care of her. She wasn’t your daughter when she would cry watching Gina take care of the baby and ask me why he can have a mommy all the time and she can’t.”

 

Lily swallowed hard at the thought of Tally wanting a mommy so bad that she cried watching another mommy hold her child.

 

“And tell me something, Lily. Was she your daughter when you were telling her to shut up? When you were telling her how awful she was? When you were letting your boyfriend call her mean names? Or how about the day after she came to my house, when we still couldn’t get ahold of you, and she had a panic attack because she found some of Ken’s blood on her the first time she took a shower? When Gina had to stop her from crying because she was crying so hard she threw up? How about…”

 

“Kenneth!” Ken’s mother Joy came back into the living room. “That’s enough.”

 

“Mom…”

 

“Stop it. Now. Has Lily made mistakes? Yes. She’s made a lot of them. But beating her in the head with them is not going to help find Tally, and that’s all we need to worry about. Now I mean it. Stop it or you’re going home.”

 

Pete very reluctantly backed down. “Yes, ma’am.”

 

Dean started to thank Joy too, when his cell phone rang. “Sam?...Okay, yeah, we’ll be there.” Dean hung up the phone and turned to the room. “Sam found Tally.”

 

“Is she okay?” Lily asked, panicked.

 

“No, babe. She’s not.” Dean said. “She got hit by a car.”

 

Dr. Samson was over the moon. The little girl who’d been admitted two days earlier was finally about to be reunited with her family. Hopefully, that would bring her out of whatever strange limbo she was currently in.

 

When the little girl, who Dr. Samson had tentatively named ‘Janie’ so she wouldn’t be stuck with the bland ‘Jane Doe’, was finally reunited with her mother, he gave the upset, fearful woman a couple of minutes with her daughter before dropping the bad news. Sitting next to Janie’s bed, who he now knew was named Tally, there was no more avoiding it.

 

“I’m sorry to say that I don’t really know what’s going on with your daughter. Physically, and I don’t know how this is possible, she’s fine. There’s no broken bones, no internal bleeding, just a few cuts and scrapes from the way she hit the pavement when the car hit her.”

 

“So if she’s okay, why hasn’t she woken up?” Joy asked, sitting in a chair on the other side of Tally’s bed.

 

“Her brain activity is what’s concerning me. There’s no way to know how hard she hit her head when the car hit her. We haven’t seen any signs that she’s brain compromised, but we’re going to have to run tests every few hours to be sure. But there’s clear signs that, at least in her mind, Tally is going through something.

 

“Going through what?” Sam asked, speaking for the first time since everyone had shown up.

 

“She’s been muttering ‘Daddy, I’m sorry’ in her sleep. A nurse came in yesterday and said she was crying.”

 

“So when should she wake up?” Pete asked, standing behind his mother.

 

“I want you to understand that what I’m about to tell you is purely a guess. I cannot be certain what’s going on with her because I’ve never seen it myself. I’ve asked a few colleagues, and they’re split about agreeing with me.”

 

“Just say it, Doc.” Dean said.

 

Dr. Samson nodded, then took one more look at Tally. “I think Tally might be deciding whether or not to die.”


	11. Sam and Ellie: Not Another Guy's Kid

“This _idiot_ is trying to reenlist.”

 

“Excuse me?” Amelia asked, eyes growing large in disbelief.

 

“He’s trying to reenlist.” Jack said for emphasis. He knew Amelia’s anger would be much more effective in talking Don out of it than Jack talking to him. “He left the information on the counter and Ellie found it. She begged him not to do it, he refused, Ellie begged me to bring her home.”

 

“I’ll go talk to Ellie while you guys work this out.”

 

“Yes, please.” A grateful Amelia said. She was torn between tearing Don in half and going in to comfort Ellie. “Don’t force her, but if she wants to go, will you take her for ice cream or something, please?”

 

“Sure.”

 

Sam headed down the hall towards Ellie’s room. He could hear her on her bed crying, and his heart went out for her. Sam knocked softly on her door, but Ellie was crying so hard she didn’t hear him. Sam pushed open the door and walked over to Ellie’s bed.

 

“Go away!”

 

“Ellie, it’s me, honey.”

 

Ellie took Sam’ by surprise when she turned over, grabbed him and started crying hard into his shoulder.

 

“Tell me what happened.”

 

“Daddy’s leaving again.” Ellie wept. “I thought he was gonna stay this time.”

 

“I’m sorry, baby.” Sam said. “But you know, Grandpa said he was _trying_ to reenlist. Maybe he’ll change his mind.”

 

“He…promised.”

 

“Promised what?”

 

“The last time he left. He promised that if he came home, he’d stay for good.” Ellie said. “I thought he wanted to stay with me.”

 

“I’m sorry, Ellie.” Sam couldn’t think of anything else to say. He could hear Amelia’s raised voice from the living room. “Why don’t you and me get out of here for a while?”

 

“And go where?”

 

“Anywhere you want.”

 

Ellie sniffed loudly and sat up, wiping her nose and trying to gain her composure. Sam grabbed some of the tissues on her nightstand and handed them to her. “Plucky’s?”

 

Sam’s face fell before he noticed that Ellie was at least attempting a grin. “Were you teasing me?”

 

Ellie giggled and nodded. “Tacos? I didn’t eat any dinner yet.”

 

“That sounds like a plan.” Sam said. “Come on.”

 

Sam called Dean, who was much better at making kids laugh, out to join them. By the time the three of them pulled back into Sam’s driveway, Ellie was crying from laughing rather than being upset. Ellie walked out from Sam’s car and back towards the Impala.

 

“Good night, uncle Dean.”

 

“Night, kiddo. You feel better?”

 

“Little bit.” Ellie said.

 

“Just a little?” Dean asked, hooking his hand like a claw and bringing it dangerously close to Ellie’s neck. “I obviously didn’t do my job enough then, huh?”

 

“No.” Ellie said. “I surrender.”

 

“Aww. Takes all the fun out of it.” Dean fake pouted. “Give me a hug.” Before letting Ellie go, he whispered in her ear, “I know what it feels like when your dad’s not home a lot. I know it hurts. If you need to talk, or you need to get away from home, call me. Okay?”

 

“Okay. Thanks, uncle Dean.”

 

“Go on inside, sweetie. I’m gonna say goodnight to Sam.”

 

Sam gave Ellie a quick hug and kiss on her cheek before leaning against the hood of the Impala.

 

“You good, dude?”

 

“Yeah. I just have a feeling it’s about to get interesting around here.”

 

“I’m headed out. Unless you want me to stay…”

 

“No. I’m good. Thanks, dude, she really needed her spirits….”

The front door flew open and an ecstatic Ellie came back out, followed closely by Jack and Don. “Sammy!”   


“Hey, where’s the fire?”

 

“Daddy’s staying.” Ellie said, a smile as intense as the tears she’d been crying less than two hours earlier.

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah. Really.” Don said. “I really wanted to work for the army, but there’s other ways to do it. There’s an opening for a few recruiters at the office in town.” Don grabbed Ellie and pulled her into a hug. “I got other things to worry about right now.”

 

“Thank you, Daddy. I know you love being in the army. I know you’re staying for me.”

 

“I do love the army. But I love you even more.” Don said, planting another kiss on top of Ellie’s head.

 

“Alright, Ellie bunny. Time for bed. You want to stay here or go back with Daddy and Grandpa?”

 

“Daddy and Grandpa.” Ellie said.

 

“Okay. Go straight to sleep, young lady.”

 

“Aww….”

 

“Amelia, have you forgotten the rule?” Jack asked.

 

“What rule?”

 

“What happens at Grandpa’s…” Jack began.

 

“Stays at Grandpa’s.” Ellie finished.

 

Amelia sighed. “Fine. Just please be asleep before twelve.”

 

“Deal. Bye, Mommy. Bye, Sammy. Bye, uncle Dean.”

 

After introducing himself to Dean, Don walked to the car with Ellie and the three of them took off. Dean left a minute later after talking with Amelia, and Sam and Amelia were alone again. Amelia took a deep breath.

 

“Everything’s quiet again.”

 

“I know.” Sam said. “What happened?”

 

“I guilted him into staying. I hated doing it, but he did promise Ellie he’d stay. Besides, she’s happier the last two weeks than she’s been since she was six.” Amelia said. “With the exception of tonight, that is.”

 

“That’s good.”

 

“What’d you two go?” Amelia asked.

 

“Went out for tacos. I was gonna take her for ice cream, but she hadn’t had dinner yet.” Sam said. “I called Dean to go with us. I can handle wiping tears and giving hugs but Dean’s better at making her laugh.”

 

“Thank you for doing that. She used to cry if Don and I had a fight. As upset as she was, I was scared she’d have a panic attack or something.”

 

“No problem. I’m glad it worked out.”

 

“You know, it’s not that late. We could still do our date night.” Amelia suggested. She chuckled when Sam started to smile. “What is that grin for?”

 

“Well, I was kind of hoping we could skip to the end of date night.”   


“Mmmm….” Amelia took a few seconds to pretend to consider, then grinned herself. “Okay.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Sure.” Amelia said. “You’re a good man, you know that? Not a lot of guys would take such good care of another guy’s kid like you did tonight.”

 

“I don’t really think of her as another guy’s kid.”

 

“And that…” Amelia said, standing on her tiptoes for a kiss, “is why I love you. Now let’s go.”

 

“Yes, ma’am.” Sam said, then lifted Amelia off her feet and carried her inside.

 

 _Hopefully_ , Sam thought as he went to sleep that night, _everything stays this good_.


	12. Dean and Tally: Stuck in Limbo

 

Dr. Samson nodded, then took one more look at Tally. “I think Tally might be deciding whether or not to die.”

 

“You think she’s suicidal?” Lily asked.

 

“There’s no reason whatsoever that Tally shouldn’t have woken up yet. Unless…”

 

“She doesn’t want to.” Sam said.

 

That had been six hours earlier, and Lily hadn’t left Tally’s bedside. Dean, needing to do something, alternated between getting food and coffee for everyone and sitting with Lily. Dean was actually surprised at how much he liked Ken’s mother. The two of them had met before, but only for a brief few minutes at a time. But despite having lost her son just a few short weeks earlier, she continually asked Lily if she was okay, if she needed to talk, and reassured her she was there for her. Joy seemed to embody kindness and empathy, and her spirit was contagious. It even calmed down the bitter Pete, who offered Lily an apology as he handed her a cup of coffee.

 

“I’m sorry. Ken wouldn’t have wanted me to treat you that way. He wasn’t just my brother. He was my best friend too. And I just wanted to make sure that Tally was taken care of.”

 

Lily easily forgave Ken. She was too focused on Tally to dwell on his outburst from earlier. But it had caused the beginnings of an idea. In between worrying about Tally and taking what Dean gave her to eat and drink, she talked herself in and out of her plan. Finally deciding to go through with it, she turned to Joy.

 

“We need to talk.”  


Dr. Samson finally made everyone but Lily and Dean leave. It was late, and the hall was very nearly deserted. Only a nurse was on call at the desk outside. Lily had seen and fought things that would make most people crumble, but the thought of apologizing to Tally, really apologizing and not just saying she was sorry to cover up for some minor screw up, almost made her wish she could run and never look back. Lily, tired of the uncomfortable chair and wishing she could be closer to Tally, climbed on the bed and drew Tally closer to her.

 

“Mommy’s here.”

 

“Babe?”

 

Lily jumped. “Hey.”

 

“Sit up, I need to talk to you.” Dean helped her sit up and pulled out a cup with some yellow liquid in it that Lily had never seen before. “I borrowed some of this from Bobby.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“It’s called African dream root. How it works is a long story that I’m sure I’d botch anyway, but basically, I take some of Tally’s hair and add it to this and drink it down.”

 

“Then what?”

 

“Hopefully, I go into her mind and try to talk her into waking up.” Dean said.

 

“What?” Lily asked. “You mean…”

 

“It’s just what it sounds like. I go into Tally’s dreams and talk to her.”

 

“I don’t know. That sounds like an invasion of privacy.”

 

“If it saves her life, it’s worth it.” Dean said.

 

Lily looked down at Tally, who hadn’t moved at all in the entire time they’d been there. She nodded. “Okay. I’ll go too.”

 

“No.” Dean said. “No. You stay here in case it doesn’t work.”

 

“Dean…”

 

“Look, this stuff is pretty dangerous. If I go in there and one of us gets into trouble, you need to get the doctor. Plus you’re already exhausted.”

 

“You’ve been up just as long as I have.” Lily said. “Now split it up into another cup or you’re the one staying behind.”

 

“Yes, ma’am.” Dean said.

 

Dean split the tea between two cups and handed one to Lily. He decided to call Sam and ask him to come back, just in case something went wrong. Lily quickly climbed back on the bed with Tally and kissed her cheek, hoping that when she woke back up Tally would be awake too. Sam was able to get back into the room without much trouble from the nurse’s desk, and Lily and Dean were on their way.

 

When they both opened their eyes, the hospital was nowhere in sight. They were in a park, with children around running in every direction. Dean was the one to spot Tally. She was sitting on a picnic blanket with Ken on the far end of the park. Lily very nearly said to forget the entire mission and leave Tally where she was. In between bites of food, Ken was telling jokes to make Tally laugh. When Lily noticed a poster hanging on a tree, her heart dropped.

 

“I know what this is.”

 

“What?” Dean asked.

“It’s family day at the park in town.” Lily said. “They started it a few years ago. Tally was always trying to get me to go.”

 

“What the hell’s family day?”

 

“They play games and stuff, hang out with other kids and parents. It’s supposed to help everyone make friends.” Lily said. “I always told Tally I’d try to come, but to be honest I was afraid to. I thought it would make everyone suspicious of me.” Lily scoffed. “Now I wish I’d just done it.”

 

“Hey. You can’t think like that. We’ll go get Tally and talk her into coming back, then we’ll make sure and take her next year. Okay?”

 

“Okay.” Lily said. “Let’s just walk over instead of calling her. I can’t remember the last time I saw her that happy.”

 

Dean agreed, and they walked over to where Tally and Ken were wrapping up lunch. Tally laughed again, and just as Lily and Dean approached, they heard her ask,

 

“Daddy, can I go play now?”

 

“Gee, I don’t know…” Ken said mischievously.

 

“Pleeeeeeeeeeeassssee?”

 

“Alright, alright, go.” Ken said.

 

“Will you come too?”

 

“Daddy’s been playing all day.”

 

“Pretty pretty pretty pretty please?” Tally asked.

 

Ken sighed. “Give me fifteen minutes. Daddy’s old and worn out, he needs time to recharge.”

 

“Okay. Deal. I’m gonna go find Eddie and Ricky.”

 

“Sounds like a plan.”

 

Tally kissed Ken’s cheek before quickly getting up and turning to go play. She ran right into someone, and was knocked to the ground with a hard thump.

 

“Oh, sorry. Excuse me…”

 

The woman offered Tally a hand to help her stand up, then bent down to look into Tally’s face. Tally’s mouth fell open in shock.

 

“Mommy?”

 

“Hi, honey.” Lily said.

 

“I thought you said you couldn’t make it.”

 

“I couldn’t, baby. Not when this really happened the first time.” Lily said.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Honey, let me ask you something. How old do you think you are?” Dean asked.

 

“Dean? When did you get here?”

 

“I’ve been here as long as mom, honey. I know it’s a weird question, but I need you to answer me. How old are you?”

 

“I’m eight. I’ll be nine next week.”

 

“Sweetheart, I know this feels real. But this is just a memory. It’s not real.”

 

“No. It’s real. I’m eight, I’m not…”

 

“You’re not what, honey? Tell me.” Dean encouraged.

 

“I’m not eleven.”

 

“So you know this isn’t real?” Dean said.

 

Tally shook her head, the tears starting to form. “It’s real. It has to be.”

 

“I know. I know you want it to be real, baby. And I understand why. But I need you to remember what happened. Do you know where you are right now?”

 

“I’m in the park.” Tally answered.

 

“No. You’re not. Think about it, kiddo. You and me had an argument. You ran away, and…”

 

Tally swallowed. “I got hit by a car.”

 

“Right.” Lily said. “Exactly. You’re in the hospital right now. I’m sleeping on your bed with you and Dean is in the chair next to you. Sam’s sitting in the room too, to make sure that we all wake up.”

 

“You don’t want me to wake up.” Tally said accusingly.

 

“What?” Lily asked. “How can you say that?”

 

“Why would you want a mean bitch back?”

 

“Kiddo, please don’t talk about yourself like that.” Dean said.

 

“Why not? _You_ can.”

 

Dean frowned. “I’m sorry, kiddo. I never should have said that. You are a great kid, and I was a di…”  


“Dean!” Lily warned.

 

“I was a jerk.” Dean corrected himself, and Lily nodded approvingly. “And if anyone ever talks to you like that again, for any reason at all, you knock the hell out of ‘em. You hear me?”

 

Lily shook her head. _At least he tried,_ she thought. Lily was shocked when she heard a loud _crack_ and saw Dean sprawled out on the ground in front of them. Tally stood over Dean, who was trying to stem the flow of blood coming from his nose.

 

“ _That’s_ for being mean to me. _Don’t_ do it again.”

 

An impressed Dean nodded his head and held a hand up in surrender. “Yes, ma’am. Uncle.” When Dean had pulled himself up, he held his hand out towards Tally. “We good?”

 

Tally nodded and accepted his handshake. “Good.”

 

“My turn.” Lily said. She took both of Tally’s hands and squeezed them. “I need to talk. And I need you to hear me. Will you do that?”

 

“Sure.”  
  
“Okay. You said yourself that you know this isn’t real. Right?” Tally nodded. “I’m not going to force you to come back with me and Dean. I can’t make you do that. But if you stay here with Daddy, you know what’s going to happen to you out there in the real world, right?”

 

“I’ll die.”

 

“That’s right.” Lily said. “I just want you to hear what I have to say before you make your decision.”

 

“I’m listening.”

 

Lily swallowed hard, thinking how stupid she was for believing she’d be prepared for this. “I’m so sorry, my baby.” Lily said. “I’m so sorry. I know I said I was done apologizing to you, but the truth is I never really did. I’m sorry, baby. I’m sorry that I was never here for you when it mattered. I never really knew how much you wanted a mommy. How much you were hurting and aching for one. And that’s what you deserve. You deserve a mommy that’s not selfish. That makes you proud and saves people because it’s the right thing to do and not because she feels like such a failure. That doesn’t keep you away from the people that love you because she’s afraid you’ll want them instead of me. You deserve a mommy that’s patient with you, and says goodnight to you. and doesn’t get mad at you for being mad at her or tell you to shut up or…” Lily had to take a deep, ragged breath when the guilt shot sharp pain though her heart. “Or lets anyone call you mean names that make you cry. You deserve all that and much more. What _I_ don’t deserve is you. No matter how often I was gone, honey, I never, ever stopped caring about you. I thought about you all the time. There were days I couldn’t have gotten through without knowing that I was coming back to you. You’ve forgiven me so many times when you shouldn’t have. Please, baby, please, I know I don’t deserve it. And I will love you no matter what you decide. But if you can find it in your heart to forgive me one last time, I promise I’ll work as hard as I can to become that mommy that you do deserve. Just wake up, baby. All you have to do to get that mommy is to wake up.”

 

“But…but, what about Daddy?” Tally said. “He’s right over…” Tally turned around and frantically searched for Ken. “Where’d he go?”

 

Dean looked around, but he didn’t see Ken either. “Kiddo…”

 

“DADDY!” Tally called. “Daddy, come back…”

 

“Tally. Tally, listen to me.” Lily said. “Daddy’s gone.”

 

“No. No, he can’t be gone, and this has to be real.”

 

“Tally…”

 

“It has to be real ‘cause if it’s not then that means everything Daddy said to me wasn’t true.”

 

Tally was quickly breaking down, and Lily grabbed both of Tally’s cheeks and spoke kindly but firmly. “Listen to me. I’m sorry, I really am, but Daddy is gone.”

 

“No. No, he’s not.”  


“He is, honey.” Lily said. “But there are a lot of people that love you waiting for you at home.”

 

“Did you mean what you said?” Tally asked. “That night I left? That Daddy would be…”

 

“Your daddy loved you. You were his world. And he was so proud of you that he couldn’t stand it.”

 

“I miss him, Mommy.” Tally said.

 

“I know.” Lily said. “I know you did.”

“You promise?” Tally asked. “To be that mommy you were talking about?”

 

“Things will change for the better. I swear.” Lily said. “All you gotta do is come back with me.”

 

“What do I do?”

 

“Nothing, kiddo.” Dean said. “You just have to decide to wake up.”

 

The sun was coming up over the horizon, and Sam wondered how everything was going. Tally had been a hard case from the time they’d picked her up and brought her home. But he hoped, now that the full story had come out, that they’d be able to get her help. He also hoped Dean realized that he had to back down. Way down. He wanted Dena’s family with Lily to work. Dean deserved all the happiness he could get. Sam just hoped that he didn’t kill Tally’s happiness while he was at it.

 

Sam was staring out the window when he heard it. Dean woke first, snoring slightly and jerking himself awake in the chair. Sam started to ask how it went, when he noticed a slight movement on the bed.

 

Lily woke to the feeling of someone touching her cheek. Assuming it was Dean, she smiled and started to playfully push him away. But when she woke up, she was met by Tally’s eyes, and best of all, her smile.  
  
“Hi, Mom.”

 

“Hey, baby.” Lily said. “Good morning.”

 

“Morning.”

 

“We’ve got a few things to talk about.” Lily said.

 

“I know.” Tally said. “Can we eat some breakfast first? I’m really hungry.”

 

“Yeah. Yeah, I think we can do that.”


	13. Sam and Ellie: It's Okay Not to be Okay

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I struggled with it a lot, but I like the way it turned out in the end.**

**Sittin’ In a Tree is on hiatus right now. The recent episode ‘Lebanon’ has inspired a couple of new ideas that I can’t wait to get written down. I know I’ve said it before, but I am planning to finish it. Might take some time, but I will.**

**Sam and Ellie and Dean and Tally each have one more chapter after this one.**

**Sam and Ellie: It’s Okay to Not be Okay**

Sam had expected Don’s return to be emotional. But with the exception of the day Amelia had reunited them and the argument about Don reenlisting, it was as if Don had never been gone. He ate dinner with them four or five nights a week. Ellie’s weekends extended from Don picking her up from school Friday afternoons into Sunday nights so that Don could take her to school on Monday mornings. Don even let Rachel come over with Ellie a few times so that Sam and Amelia could work or spend some time together. He became not just Ellie’s father again, but a good friend of the family.

 

As happy as Sam was that Ellie had gotten her daddy back, he started to notice some subtle changes in her. Amelia chalked it up to Ellie becoming a teenager soon, but Sam thought there was more to it. Ellie was quiet. When asked about her weekends with Don, all she would say was that they’d watch movies and ‘hang out’. She was having nightmares, which Sam only picked up on because he happened to be walking by her room one night when he couldn’t sleep himself. Ellie wouldn’t talk about the bad dream, and went back to a fitful sleep. Sam decided that if she wouldn’t answer direct questions, maybe the indirect route would produce better results. He surprised her on afternoon by picking her up from school an hour early.

 

“Sammy?” Ellie asked as she came into the office with her backpack. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I thought we’d go get some ice cream.”

 

“But school’s not out yet.” Ellie pointed out.

 

Sam shrugged. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

 

The two of them were sitting inside Baskin Robbins before Sam thought about addressing what was really going on. Ellie was relaxed, and after asking her about how seventh grade was going, Sam finally asked the question.

 

“Sweetie, I want to ask you something. And I want you to tell me the truth, okay?”

 

“What?” Ellie asked.

 

“I want to know what’s going on with you.” Sam said. “You’ve been really quiet lately, and I’m worried about you.”

 

Ellie shifted uncomfortably. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

 

“Really?” Sam asked. “Because I think you’ve been having more than just that one nightmare from earlier this week.”

 

Ellie frowned but didn’t deny it.

 

“You know you can talk to me, right?” Sam asked.

 

“I know.” Ellie said. “I just…I’m scared to talk about it.”

 

“So there is something going on?” Sam asked. Ellie nodded, and Sam breathed a sigh of relief. He was right. “Okay. Are you in some kind of trouble?”

 

“No.”   


“Is it about your dad?”

 

Ellie nodded and said quietly, “Yeah.”

 

“What’s going on, honey?”

 

Ellie didn’t say anything at first, but a patient Sam just waited her out. Eventually, she started talking. “Daddy’s changed a lot.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Ever since he got his own apartment, he drinks a lot. And he’s always mad about something.” Ellie said. “He yells at me all the time and then says he’s sorry and he won’t do it again.”

 

 _Damn that sounds familiar,_ Sam said. He’d long since forgiven his father for his constant drinking and occasional alcohol fueled rages, but that didn’t mean he had forgotten how they left him feeling-lost, alone, confused, second to a bottle of Jack Daniels. Sam put his hands together and leaned in close.

 

“First question, Ellie. And you need to be honest with me here. Has your Dad done anything other than yell at you?”

 

“Like what?” Ellie asked.

 

“Ellie, answer me. Has he done anything else? Has he ever hurt you?”

 

“Like, hit me? No.”

 

“Never?” Sam said. “You’re sure?”

 

“He’s never hurt me.”

 

“Okay. Second question. Do you still want to see your dad?” Sam asked.

 

“Of course I do.” Ellie said.

 

“Well, in that case, I think we need to talk to your mom…”

“NO!” Ellie said, panicked. “No, please don’t tell her.”

 

“Ellie, if something’s going on, she needs to know.”

 

“Please don’t tell her. If I tell her, she’ll make Daddy come to our house to see me and he’ll get mad at me.” Ellie begged. “Please don’t tell her.”

 

Sam was torn. He knew if he kept this from Amelia that she’d be upset with him. But if he told her, he risked losing Ellie’s trust.

 

“Please, Sammy. Don’t tell her.”

 

“Alright. I won’t. _But_ , you need to call me the second anything happens. Agreed?”

 

“Agreed.” Ellie said.

 

“Thank you, Sammy.”

 

“You’re welcome.”   


“I mean for the ice cream too.” Ellie said. “Thanks.”

 

“My pleasure.” Sam said. “Come on. You want to go with me to pick up Rachel?”

 

“Sure.”

  
Ellie seemed in better spirits, but Sam was still worried. He reminded her each day to call him and let him know if she needed help. Ellie left, and Sam hoped and prayed everything would be okay. He wasn’t planning on letting Don completely off; he was planning to stop by the recruiting office to talk to Don on Monday, after Ellie was in school.

 

He never got the chance.

 

It was Saturday night, and Sam and Amelia were planning a date night. The date night was scrapped when Rachel came down with the flu. Though her cough, headache, fever, and chills put a definite damper on the night, it was about to get a lot worse. Sam’s cell phone rang just after putting Rachel to bed. He didn’t recognize the number, but something told him to answer it.

 

“Sam Winchester.”   


“Sammy?”

 

“Ellie?” Sam asked, his senses immediately kicking into high gear. “Are you okay?”

 

“I…I need your help. I need you to come get me.”

 

“Come get you? Where are you? Aren’t you with your dad?”

 

“No. Just please come get me.” Ellie said again. “I promise I’ll tell you what happened, just come get me, please.”

 

“Okay, honey. I’m on the way. Tell me where you are.”

 

“Hang on a second.”   


“Ellie? No, honey, don’t put the phone down….”

 

“Hello?” An unknown male voice answered the phone.

 

“Who is this?” Sam demanded.

 

“My name’s Brian Jackson. I’m the bartender right now at Flanagan’s on Kennedy Avenue.”

  
“I know where that is. Why is Ellie there?” Sam asked. “Where’s her father?”

 

“Ellie came in with her dad about four o’clock. Her dad said they were gonna eat an early dinner then leave before the night rush got here. But her dad kept drinking, and eventually I cut him off.”

 

“Why is she still there?” Sam asked.

 

“I tried to take her dad’s keys from him, but he said he didn’t have them. Ellie told me he’d left them in the car, and her dad got kinda rough with her. He grabbed her arm and yelled at her for telling me the keys were in the car. He tried to make her leave with him, but she wouldn’t go.”

 

“Got it.” Sam said. “Um, I’m about fifteen minutes away. I’m on my way right now.”   


“Sure. I’ve got Ellie in the office with a bowl of ice cream. Just ask for me when you get here and I’ll bring you back here to her.”

 

“I’ll be there. Thank you so much for looking after her.”

 

“No problem. She’s a sweet kid. I’ll take care of her until you get here.”

 

Sam hung up the phone, grabbed his wallet and keys, and started out the front door before he remembered. _Amelia_. Sam had a dilemma. He had to go get Ellie, but he couldn’t lie to Amelia about where he was going. Especially with Rachel so sick in her room. It didn’t take long for him to make his choice. Don had left Ellie at a bar. If Ellie hadn’t refused to leave with him, he might have driven drunk with Ellie in the car. The thought of losing Ellie’s life made him decide it was worth the risk to lose her trust.

_Please don’t hate me for this, sweetie. I’m doing it for your own good._

“Hey. Where you off to?” Amelia asked, coming out from Rachel’s room.

 

“Hey. Um…I have to go pick up Ellie.”   


Amelia stopped mid-stride. “What? Why?”

 

“Because Don left her alone at a bar.”

 

“Excuse me?” Amelia asked, her voice rising slightly.   


“She just called me. Brian took her to Flanagan’s for dinner, but he started drinking and didn’t stop. Ellie wouldn’t leave with him.”

 

“Thank God.” Amelia said. “Okay. Give me a second to get Rachel ready…”

 

“Don’t wake her up.”

 

“Sam, Ellie needs me…”   
  
“I know. And I promise, I will pick her up and bring her straight back here. There’s no need to make this worse by waking up Rachel and maybe making her sicker.” Amelia looked conflicted, and Sam grabbed her shoulder gently. “I promise. I’ll bring her right back.”

 

Amelia nodded. “Okay.”   


“Alright. I’ll be back. It’s a fifteen minute drive, so forty minutes tops.”

 

“I’ll be counting.”

 

Thirty-nine minutes later, Sam was back. An anxious Amelia was pacing the living room, and pounced on Ellie the second she walked in the door.   
  
“Are you alright?”   


“I’m fine.” Ellie said.

 

“Come on, sit down.” Amelia said. She led Ellie over to the couch and sat her down, looking her up and down as she did. “What happened?”

 

“Daddy said we were going out to an early dinner, then we were going to see a movie. But he kept drinking and drinking and he wouldn’t stop. When he stood up, he couldn’t walk straight. So when he tried to leave I wouldn’t go with him.”

 

“Okay. I know that was hard, sweetie, but you did the right thing calling Sam to pick you up.” Amelia said. “If Daddy had gotten in an accident with you in the car, you could have gotten hurt really bad. So I’m proud of you for that.”

“He was so mad…” Ellie said, breaking down in tears.

 

“Oh, honey.” Amelia pulled Ellie to her, and couldn’t help but think of the day that she’d told Ellie that Daddy wouldn’t be coming home again. “Listen…”   


“I remember what it was like when Daddy was here the first time.” Ellie said.

 

“What do you mean?” Amelia asked.

 

“I remember you and Daddy fighting a lot. Because of how much he drank when he was home.” Ellie said. “I just hoped it would be different this time.”

 

Amelia didn’t know what to say. She always thought she’d done Ellie a favor by letting her hold on to the romanticized version of her father. Don had never been a bad father or husband, but when he was home, he tended to want to spend most of his time hanging out with friends and going to bars. Amelia would often have to force Don to stay at the house and spend time with Ellie, resulting in fights between the two of them. Don would usually be resistant at first, but would end up thanking her later in the night, long after he’d tucked Ellie into bed.

 

“I hoped it would be different this time too.” Amelia said. “I really did, sweetie.”

 

“What do we do?” Ellie asked. “We have to help Daddy.”   


“Let me worry about that.” Amelia said. “You hungry?”

 

“No.” Ellie said.

 

“Okay. Why don’t you go get a shower?” Amelia suggested.

 

“I don’t know if I can sleep right now.” Ellie said.

 

“I didn’t say you were going to bed, did I?” Amelia asked. “Get your PJs on and you and me’ll have a sleepover in here. Movie, popcorn, the works. Deal?”

 

“Deal.”

 

“Go on.” Amelia said, kissing her cheek. “I’ll be right here when you get out.”

 

Ellie walked to the bathroom, and when Amelia heard the door shut, she said very calmly, “If it wouldn’t upset Ellie so much, I’d kill this son of a bitch.”

 

“What _are_ you planning to do?” Sam asked.

 

Amelia sighed. “I thought about it while you went to pick Ellie up. I think I’m gonna call Dad and get him to go over and talk to Don.”

 

“And say what?”   


“That he has to get help. Get sober if he wants to see Ellie.” Amelia said.   
  
Sam nodded. “Sounds good.” Sam decided to come completely clean. “Look, I need to tell you something before Ellie comes back out.”

 

“Why don’t I like the sound of that?”

 

“Ellie told me about Don earlier this week.”

 

“You KNEW about this?” Amelia asked. “How could you not tell me?”

 

“I didn’t know it was that bad…”

 

“Don’t be mad at Sammy, Mommy.” Ellie came into the living room, hair still damp from her shower. “I asked him not to tell you. He was only doing what I asked him to.”

 

“Why didn’t you want him to tell me?”

 

“Because I was afraid you wouldn’t let me see Daddy again if you knew.” Ellie said. “You’re not gonna stop me from seeing him, are you?”

 

Amelia frowned. “Honey…”

 

“Mommy, please don’t…”

 

“Elizabeth, listen to me.” Amelia said firmly. “I would never keep your Daddy away from you unless it was dangerous for the two of you to be together. Right now, it is. I can’t trust your Daddy to take care of you anymore.”

 

“Yes, you can…”   


“You’re not listening to me.” Amelia said, then waited calmly for Ellie to calm down. “Now, Grandpa is going to talk to Daddy tonight. He is going to let your Daddy know that if he wants to see you anymore, he has to get some help to stop drinking.”

 

“What if he won’t?”

 

“Then he can’t see you until he does.” Amelia said. Ellie was completely crushed, and Amelia wanted nothing more than to take back what she’d said. But she couldn’t. “Ellie, baby, I’m sorry. I know it’s not fair, and I’m not trying to be mean. But until I can be sure that this won’t happen again, you’re gonna have to stay here with me and Sam.”

 

“Can Daddy come here and see me with you or Sammy here? I won’t leave with him, I promise.”

 

“If he’ll get help, then we’ll see.” Amelia promised. “If it is at all safe for you to see your Daddy, I will let you see him. I swear.”

 

“I know you’re not trying to be mean, Mommy. I just really hope he’ll get help. I don’t know if I can lose him again.”

 

Sam and Amelia took turns to cheer up Ellie. The next day, they were still taking turns, and it halfway worked. Ellie was so focused on whatever the two of them were asking her to do or listening to whatever they were talking about that she almost forgot about Don.

 

Almost.

 

It was getting close to lunchtime. Amelia had made soup for Rachel’s flu, and Ellie wanted some for herself, so the soup became lunch for all of them. Amelia’s cell phone rang, and she approached Ellie looking slightly nervous.

“Your daddy wants to come over. He wants to talk to you and apologize for what happened last night. Do you want to see him?”

 

Ellie bit her lip. “Is it okay?”

 

“Sam and I will be here, so it’s okay.” Amelia said. “Only if you want to, though.”

 

Ellie nodded. “It’s okay.”

 

The next few minutes passed slowly, but finally the front door opened and Jack walked in. Don followed and smiled at Ellie. Ellie didn’t want to admit it, but she was mad. He’d left her behind in a place she didn’t know, leaving her scared and alone. He’d yelled at her in front of strangers, embarrassing her. When Don tried to hug her, Ellie didn’t push him away, but she didn’t hug him back either.

 

“Hey, kiddo.”

 

“Hi, Daddy.” Ellie said quietly.

 

“Listen, I owe you an apology for last night. A big one.” Don said. “I’m so sorry, baby. I know I left you alone and there’s no excuse for that.”

 

“Why did you do that?” Ellie asked. “I was scared, Daddy. I didn’t know where I was.”

 

“I know, honey. I know you didn’t. And I’m proud of you for not getting in the car with me.”

 

“You are?”

 

“Yes. I am. I could’ve really hurt you last night. Or worse.” The thought seemed to make Don wince. “I couldn’t have lived with myself if that had happened.”

 

 _Trust me, you wouldn’t have lived if that had happened,_ Amelia thought but didn’t say.

 

“I’m sorry, honey. I’ll never stop being sorry for that. Can you forgive me?”

 

Ellie nodded. “Yeah. I forgive you, Daddy.”

 

“Good.” Don said. “Thank you, honey. But I’m afraid that’s not it.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Don braced himself for Ellie’s reaction. She was the only one he was afraid could talk him out of what he was about to do. “I’m leaving for a while.”

 

“You’re going back overseas, aren’t you?” Ellie asked. “You promised!”

 

“No, honey. I promised you I wouldn’t do that and I won’t. But I need to leave for a little while to get myself some help.”

 

“What kind of help?” Ellie asked. “Can I help you?”

 

“No, honey. The kind of help I need can only come from doctors. Grandpa’s driving me right now to a clinic. I’m staying there for a while.”

 

“How long?” Ellie asked, the tears starting to come again. “Can I see you?”

 

“I don’t know how long. But they do allow family visits after a couple of weeks. If your mom’s not too pissed at me, I’m sure she’ll bring you to see me.”

 

Amelia nodded. “Of course I will.”

 

“And after a week, assuming I’m doing okay, I’ll be able to call you. And I promise I’ll call you every chance I get.” Don wiped away Ellie’s tears and choked back some of his own. “Baby, please don’t cry.”

 

“Please don’t go, Daddy.” Ellie begged. “Please don’t leave me again.”

 

“Listen to me. Do you remember telling me once that I was the best Daddy you could have ever been given?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Did you mean that?”

 

“Of course I did.”

 

“Well, that’s why I need to do this. I need to go away for a while and get better so that I can get back to being that Daddy that you remember. You deserve him, not me like I am right now. Okay?”

 

“If you leave I won’t see you again.” Ellie said.  

 

“I am coming back to you.” Don repeated. “I swear to you, Ellie, I am coming back to you.”

 

Don’s departure was heart wrenching for everyone involved, but he was eventually out the door and gone. Amelia went to the kitchen to work on the soup, leaving a deeply depressed Ellie with Sam. Before Sam could think of anything to say, Rachel had appeared from her bed.

 

“Sissy?” Rachel asked with her raspy voice. “Why are you crying?”

 

“Rachel, not now.” Sam said gently.

 

“Is it because your Daddy had to go away?” Rachel asked, ignoring Sam. She’d heard Don talking from her room.

 

“Yeah.” Ellie said.

 

“Oh.” Rachel said. She then had an idea that made perfect sense to her. “Don’t worry, Sissy. You don’t have to be sad. Your daddy’ll come back. But until he does, you can just share mine.”

 

Amelia had been about to announce that dinner was ready, but Rachel’s simple yet generous gesture to her sister made her stop in her tracks. She could Sam thinking the same. Ellie smiled.

 

“Thanks, Rachel.”

 

“Come on, Rachel. Let’s put you back to bed. You can eat in there.” Sam said.

 

Rachel didn’t like being sick without one or both of her parents there, but Ellie was hurting more than she was. Rachel remembered a punishment Amelia had given her when she was little. Amelia had made her sit in her room for what felt like hours, wondering when or if she’d ever be able to see him again. Ellie’s daddy would probably be gone a lot longer than just one day. Rachel turned to Sam and said,

 

“You should be with Sissy today, Daddy. She needs you a lot more than I do.”

 

When Ellie was going to bed that night, Sam decided to take Rachel’s advice. “Hey, kiddo. You okay?”

 

“I’m okay.” Ellie answered, entirely unconvincingly.

 

“Are you sure?” Sam asked. “It’s okay if you’re not.”

 

“No.” Ellie said. “No, I’m not okay.”

 

Sam sighed. “I wish I knew what to say to make it better.”

 

“It’s not fair. Rachel gets you, so why can’t I have my daddy?”

 

“Sweetheart, I have something to tell you. My dad used to drink a lot too.”

 

“He did?” Ellie asked. “Why didn’t you say anything before?”

 

“It’s not really something I like to talk about.” Sam said. “I’ve forgiven him for it, but it took a really long time. He never really saw what his drinking did to me and your uncle Dean.”

 

“Did it make you feel like I do right now?”   
  
“I don’t know. Tell me how you do feel right now.” Sam said. He could easily guess, but wanted Ellie to open up.

 

“Like he left me.”

 

“I definitely know how that feels.” Sam said. “My dad was away from home. A lot. And every time he left, it made me feel like his work mattered more than I did.”

 

“Did he yell at you a lot?”

 

“Sometimes. It felt like all the time.”

 

“Did you feel like he didn’t love you?” Ellie asked.

 

“I did. A lot. Most of the time, actually. I know now that I was wrong, but I felt lonely most of the time when I was your age.”

 

“Did you ever make up with him?”

 

“He tried to make up with me before he died. And I forgave him. But I really do wish he had tried a little harder when I was a kid. Maybe both of us could have had a better few years.” Sam picked up Moonpie and handed him to Ellie. “I think it’s a really good sign that your dad is leaving to go to rehab, sweetie.”

 

“You do?”

 

“I do. It shows me he really wants to make it up to you. That he loves you and wants to be there for you. It’s not an easy thing to admit you need help with something like that.”

 

“So you think he’ll come back?”

 

“I think he’ll come back and be even better than he was before.” Sam said. “And until he does come back, you’ve got a lot of people that love you right here. Me, your mom, Dean, Rachel, your grandpa. All of us are here for you.”

 

“Thanks, Sammy.” Ellie said.

 

“My pleasure. You feel better?”

 

“Mostly.”

 

“I’ll take it.” Sam said. “Goodnight, kiddo.”

 

“Hey, Sammy? Rachel’s lucky.”

 

“Lucky? Why?”

“’Cause she has you.” Ellie said. “Will you do what Rachel said?”

 

Sam was still recovering from Ellie’s compliment, and asked with a bit of a stutter. “What she said?”

 

“Will you be my dad too ‘till mine comes back?”

 

Sam leaned over and kissed Ellie’s cheek. “I would love to. And I will always be there for you, even after he does come back. Don’t forget that, okay?”

 

“Okay. I won’t. Goodnight, Sammy. I love you.”

 

“I love you too. I couldn’t love you any less if I were your dad in the same way I was Rachel’s. Got it?”

 

“Got it.”

 

“Lay down. Go to sleep.” Sam said. “Sweet dreams, kiddo.” Sam walked towards Ellie’s room and turned off her light, turned around and looked at her for another few moments. “Sweet dreams.”

 


	14. Dean and Tally: The Scab Has to Fall Off For the Cut to Get Better

The sound filled the room, and Ellie savored it. Dr. Samson declared her healthy, and informed the family that after a few hours of observation and performing a couple of tests, there was no reason she shouldn’t be able to go home. Tally’s laugh. Dean and Pete’s awful, stupid jokes were making her laugh until she cried. Joy was making her eat until Tally begged her to stop.

 

“I’m full, Grandma. I can’t eat any more.”

 

“Alright, young lady. But you’re eating more come dinnertime.”

 

“Yes, ma’am.” Tally said with a smile. She finally asked the first serious question she’d asked all day. “Have they found whoever hit me?”

 

“No.” Dean growled. “But when they do, we’ll take care of it.”

 

“Uncle Pete, would you go back to the house and bring me the box from under my bed?”

 

Pete was surprised, but agreed. “Sure…”

 

“It’s got some stuff in it I want to give everyone.” Tally explained. “So don’t open it.”

 

“Sure thing, kiddo.” Pete stood up and made a fist, holding it out to Tally. Tally answered by taking her own fist and bumping his.

 

“Boom.” she said.

 

“Boom.” Pete said. “I’ll be back soon.”

 

When Pete was gone, Tally leaned back against the bed and sighed. “Mom, Dean, I owe you guys both an apology.”

 

“No, sweetie…” Lily started to say she didn’t have to, but Tally shook her head.

 

“Please, mom, I need to get this out.”

 

“Okay, sweetie.” Lily said. “Go ahead.”

 

“I’m really sorry. To both of you. I haven’t been very nice to you, and Daddy wouldn’t have liked that. I’m sorry.” Tally said, wiping her face. “I’m sorry that’s not as good as what you said before, but I mean it.”

 

“I know you do, sweetie. Thank you.” Lily said.

 

“I’ll make a deal with you, kiddo.” Dean said. “We’ve both done our share here. How about a truce?”

“You mean it?” Tally asked.

 

“Of course I mean it.” Dean said.

 

“Okay.” Tally said. “Deal.”

 

“Before we do that, though, I want to talk to you about something.” Dean said. “You’re not in trouble, but we need to get this out.”

 

“Talk about what?” Tally asked.

 

Dean sighed. “Kiddo, I think I know the real reason you’ve been so mad at the world.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“We’ve seen a video of what happened when your dad died.” Dean said.

 

Tally froze, the flashback making her want to crawl away. But she couldn’t, so she focused on her bedcover.

 

“What happened?” Joy asked. “Tally, what are they talking about, baby?”

 

“Ken wasn’t just mugged, Joy.” Lily explained. “The guy that mugged them pointed the gun at Tally and Ken jumped in front of her.”

 

“Oh, sweetheart.” Joy said lovingly. “It’s okay.”

 

“No, it’s not.” Tally said. “It’s my fault Daddy died.”

 

“No, baby, it isn’t…” Joy started, only to have Dean grab her shoulder.

 

“Joy. Just trust me here. Okay?” Dean said. Joy agreed, and Dean turned back to Tally. “Kiddo, I’ve got something to tell you. My dad did the same thing yours did. He gave up his life to save mine.”

 

“He did?” Tally asked.

 

“He did. And because he did, I think I know what you’re thinking. I think you’re mad at your dad for what he did. But you don’t want to be mad at him, so instead you got mad at everyone else.”

 

“I’m not mad at Daddy.” Tally said, a little too automatically.

 

“I think you don’t want to be mad at him,” Dean said, as if Tally hadn’t answered him, “because you think it means you’re letting him down. Am I right?”

 

“He saved my life.” Tally said.

 

“But he’s not here.” Dean answered, hitting the magic nerve. “He’s not here and he promised he’d always be here for you.”

 

“Daddy told me to get behind him.” Tally said. “He told me to get behind him but I froze.”

 

“Kiddo, that’s normal. You were scared. That doesn’t make this your fault.” Dean reassured her. “The only one at fault here is the jackass that robbed the two of you. It starts and stops with him. You got me?”

 

Tally nodded. “Got it.”

 

“Am I right?” Dean asked. “Is that why you’ve been so angry?”

 

“Yeah.” Tally said. “Yeah, it is.”

 

“That’ll change, sweetie. I promise.” Dean said. “I waited a long time before I admitted that I was mad at my dad for leaving me too. That’s the hardest part. But now that you have admitted it, you can talk about it. With me, with your mom, with your grandma. We’re all here for you, Tally. All of us.”

 

“Grandma? Is he right?” Tally asked. “You don’t think it’s my fault? I only thought it was ‘cause everybody was so upset.”

 

“No, sweetie. Your daddy saved you because he loved you more than he loved himself. He wouldn’t want you carrying this around.” Joy explained. “Neither do I.”

 

“I wish I believed it myself.” Tally said sadly.

 

“Listen to me, kiddo. I know it’s easy for us to say that it’s not your fault and that there’s nothing you could have done differently. We weren’t there. But I promise, I promise you, it’s not on you. And it is okay to be upset with your dad that he’s not here. That’s totally normal. But I promise you’ll get past this. It feels like it’ll take forever, but it won’t.” Dean reached over and grabbed Tally’s hand. “You got me?”

 

“Got ya.” Tally said.

 

“Okay. We got one more thing to talk about.” Lily said.

 

“What?”

 

“Well, your grandma and I were talking. I think maybe I tried a little too hard to take care of you after your dad died.”

 

“What do you mean?” Tally asked. “Are you leaving again?”

“Just listen to me, sweetie. I’m not leaving again. But I got the note you left before you ran away. I think you’re right. I think we need some time to build up to being mom and daughter. So, your grandma’s gonna move in with you, and Sam, Dean, and I are gonna take her house.”

 

“Why are we doing that?” Tally asked.

 

“Because it’s not fair to make you move. Your daddy worked hard to give you a home in that house. So you’re gonna stay there with grandma.”

 

“I’m still gonna see you guys, right?”

 

“Of course you are, baby. Of course you are. There may be times that I have to go back out and hunt...” Lily stopped in her tracks and looked to Joy; she’d never told Joy what she did for ‘work’.

 

“Don’t worry about it, honey. Ken told me about hunting years ago. When the two of you first split up.”

 

Relieved, Lily went on. “Okay. As I was saying, I might have to go back out with Sam and Dean once in a while. But I’m gonna start saying home more. I’ll help other hunters with research, answer phones for them, that kind of thing. The nights that I’m home, I’ll pick you up from school and bring you back to grandma. Spend an hour or so with you, and, if you want, most weekends. Grandma’s the one who’ll get you up for school, make sure your homework’s done, all the stuff that your daddy used to take care of. How does that sound?”

 

“I like it, but I feel bad. I feel like I drove you away.”

 

“No, honey. You didn’t drive me away. I shouldn’t have stayed away as much as I did. That’s on me. But if you’ll work with me, I can start off being your friend. And maybe, one day, you can trust me to be your mom.”

 

“So, I’ll spend some of the time of the time with grandma and some of it with you?” Tally asked.

 

“Exactly.” Lily said. “I promise we’ll make it work. If you’re willing to do it too.”

 

“Okay, mom. I’ll try too.” Tally said. “Thank you.”

 

“But,” Lily said, “you have to promise me that you will listen to grandma like you used to listen to Daddy. No fighting her on the rules. This is a fresh start for you just like it is for me. If she tells me that you are fighting her and she can’t handle it herself, then I will step in and we will go back to the rules Dean tried to have in place. Understand?”

 

“I understand.” Tally said. “I’ll be good. Promise.”   


“I know you will.” Lily said. “You’re a good girl, Tally.”

 

“I second that.” Dean replied.

 

“Amen.” Joy agreed.

 

The praise made Tally blush. “Guys…” Eager to change the subject, Tally asked, “Where’s Sam?”

 

As if he’d heard her question, Sam opened the hospital room door. “Guys? We ready?”

 

“Ready for what?” Tally asked.

 

“Ready, Sam.” Dean said. “Is Pete with you?”

 

“He’s right here.”

 

“Okay. Come on in.”

 

Sam walked in with a large birthday cake, two balloons, and Pete following behind him.

 

“Happy birthday to you…”

 

Tally, who had completely forgotten it was her birthday, laughed so hard she couldn’t blow her candles out. The box she’d sent Pete to retrieve turned out to be gifts that she’d made for her family members. Tally was eventually released, and before going to sleep, she said something that she hadn’t said to her mom since she could remember. She knew they had a long way to go, but she could start the road to healing.

 

“Goodnight, mom. Goodnight, Dean. Love you.”


	15. Sam and Ellie: The Uncertain Future

_Ellie’s Thirteenth Birthday_

 

Amelia tried not to be too enthusiastic about Ellie’s birthday, but it was hard. Don had been gone for months, and Ellie was slowly getting more and more depressed about it. She had asked not to celebrate her birthday this time, but Amelia tried to convince her to do it. _Come on, kiddo. You only turn thirteen once. You’ll be a teenager now. Let’s do it._ But Ellie wouldn’t have it. No matter her mother’s reasoning, Ellie’s answer was always the same.

 

“Not until Daddy comes back.”

 

Desperate for Ellie to do something, Amelia held back a cheer when she convinced Ellie to at least have a birthday cake at home with Sam and Rachel. The day came, and Amelia worked hard in the kitchen to make Ellie’s favorite cake. Ellie was spending the day in her room working on a paper for school, and an excited Rachel ran into the kitchen.

 

“Mommy, is it almost time?”

 

“Shh.” Amelia said. “Remember, it’s a surprise.”

 

“Oh, right.” Rachel said. She lowered her voice to a whisper and asked, “Is it almost time?”

 

“Almost.” Amelia said. “Hey, come here. I have a job for you.”

 

Ellie tried to focus on her paper, but it was next to impossible. She just couldn’t get her mind off her father. She’d been to visit a few times over the months he’d been gone, and he called her nearly every night. But it wasn’t the same. He hadn’t been there for Thanksgiving, for Christmas, and now he wasn’t there for her birthday. Ellie wished she could make her mother understand why she didn’t want to celebrate her birthday. Holidays were different. They were meant to be celebrated by everyone. But her birthday belonged to her, and she just didn’t want to celebrate unless she could have everyone she loved there.

 

“Sissy.”   


Ellie looked to the door of her room and found an excited Rachel standing there. “Hey.”

 

“Come on. Mommy said it’s time.”

 

Ellie groaned. “I don’t want to do this.”

 

“Come on, Sissy. Mommy worked really hard on this.” Rachel said.

 

“Fine.” Ellie stood up and started to walk to the kitchen.

 

“Wait.” Rachel held out both hands and stopped Ellie from coming further.

“What?” Ellie, annoyed, threw her hands up in frustration. “I thought you said it was time.”   


“It is. But you have to close your eyes.”

 

“What? Come on, Rachel. This isn’t a surprise.”

 

“Just do it, okay!”

 

“Fine, fine.” Ellie closed her eyes and held out her hand. “Happy?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Ellie scowled. She could almost hear the self-satisfied grin on Rachel’s face, but she chose not to say anything. Rachel lead Ellie to the kitchen, sat her down in a chair, and moved her hands off Ellie’s face. As resistant as she’d been to having a birthday party, the gorgeous homemade cake on the table made her smile. The candles were already lit, and Sam, Rachel, and Amelia jumped right into ‘happy birthday’. But Ellie noticed something. There was another voice there. A fourth one, that hadn’t been there before. Just as the song was wrapping up, Ellie felt someone over her shoulder. Before she could ask who it was, that fourth person blew out her candles.   


“Oops. Sorry, kiddo.”

 

Ellie stared open mouthed, her father’s sudden appearance taking her completely by surprise. “Daddy?”

 

“Hey. Happy birthday.”

 

“Daddy!”

 

Ellie’s reaction was nearly a repeat of the day that Amelia had brought Don back the first time. She jumped out from the chair and into Don’s arms. As happy as he was for Ellie, Sam couldn’t help but think back to Ellie’s younger days.

 

_Seven Years Earlier_

_“Okay, Ellie. You ready to try again?”_

_“I guess.” Ellie said._

_“Hey. You’re gonna do this. You just have to keep trying, okay?”_

_“Okay.”_

_“Alright, let’s go. Climb up. I’m gonna hold the seat until we get to the fire hydrant, then I want you to go to the end of the street, turn around, and ride back to me. Got it?”_

_“Got it.”_

_When Ellie was in position, Sam walked a few feet down the street as she pedaled. The moment of truth arrived. When Sam’s foot was level with the fire hydrant, he released Ellie’s bike seat and watched as she proudly went down to the end of the street, turned the bike, and came back towards him. She pedaled backwards and stopped the bike a few feet from Sam, jumped off and ran to him._

_“I did it!”_

_“You did do it, kiddo. I’m so proud of you…”_

_Sam was left stunned when Ellie didn’t stop. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. It was a big change from the shy, nervous little girl who would hide behind her mommy when Sam was near. Sam had wondered in the past if Ellie would ever realize that he was just as afraid of her as she was of him. Maybe it was slowly starting to change._

_“Thanks, Sammy. I couldn’t have done this without you.”_

_“My pleasure, kiddo.”_

_“Can I go again?” Ellie asked._

_“Sure can. Get back up on the seat. Do you want me to hold on?”_

_“No. I’ve got it.”_

Sam was shaken out of his flashback by Rachel tugging on his hand. “Come on, Daddy! It’s time for cake!”

 

Sam smiled. “Right. Remember, Ellie gets to pick first though.”

 

_Nine Months Later_

“What do you think, Daddy?”

 

Sam, whose stomach was fluttering with all the emotion of what he was preparing to do, turned and smiled at Rachel and Ellie in the doorway. Both were dressed in a simple light pink dress, Rachel with a large decorative bow in her hair and Ellie choosing to let her hair flow freely.

 

“You both look beautiful.” Sam said sincerely. “Where’s Mommy?”

 

“She’s getting dressed. You can’t see her ‘til it’s time.” Rachel said.

 

Sam laughed. Rachel had carefully enforced the rule that the groom couldn’t see the bride the day before the wedding, going so far as to convince Dean to make Sam get a motel room the night before. “Yes, ma’am.”

 

“Hey, Rachel? Can you go check on Mom for me, please? I want to talk to Sam about something.”

 

“Don’t let him leave. He can’t see Mommy, it’s bad luck.”

 

“Don’t worry, I won’t. Go on.” Ellie watched as Rachel walked down the hall, then turned with a smile back to Sam.

 

“She taking her job as wedding coordinator seriously?”

 

“Good god, yessss.” Ellie said with gritted teeth. “She even tried to convince me I had to wear a bow like hers.” Ellie shivered at the thought.   
  
“You said you wanted to talk to me?” Sam asked.

 

“Oh, yeah. Um…”

 

“Hey, kiddo. Look at you!” Don and Dean had walked back inside, and Dena clapped a hand on Ellie’s shoulder. “Looking good.”

 

“Thanks.” Ellie said. “Hey, uncle Dean, could you let me talk to Sammy and my dad alone for a minute?”

 

“Sure.”

 

Dean left, and Ellie turned to her father. “Do you have it?”

 

Don pulled a manila envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Ellie. “Got it right here.”

 

“What’s going on?” A nervous Sam asked.

 

“Well, I wanted to give you your present a little early. Before everyone was at the reception.”

 

“Oh. Okay.”

 

“Here.” Ellie said, handing the envelope over to Sam, blushing slightly.  
 

“What is this?” Sam opened the envelope to find a form inside, titled _State of Texas, Legal Name Change for Minor Child._

 

“Do you remember, right before Daddy came back, I asked you about it?” Ellie said. “I still want to if you’re still okay with it.”

Sam turned to Don. “You’re okay with this?”

 

“More than okay. You’ve taken good care of my girl, Sam. If Ellie wants to recognize that, I’ve got no problem with it.”

 

“I’d love it, kiddo. Thank you.” Sam said.

 

“So I guess that makes you, what?” Don asked.

 

“Elizabeth Danielle Richardson-Winchester.”

 

_Four Years Later_

 

“Please welcome our valedictorian, Elizabeth Richardson-Winchester.”

 

The crowd erupted, but none were as loud as Amelia, Rachel, Don, and Sam. Ellie took her position on the stage and smiled. She took a breath and started.

 

“When I was six, my mom called for me to come in from the playground. She had sent me out there a little while earlier, saying she had to talk to my grandpa. When she called me in and sat me on the couch, she told me she had to talk to me about my dad, who had been stationed in Afghanistan for a few months before that. I got real excited for a minute, thinking he was coming back home. But he wasn’t.”

 

The crowd was silent, listening intently to Ellie’s speech.

 

“I was devastated. I was a daddy’s girl through and through. I was six years old and wondering how life could ever be as good as it had been before. But a few weeks later, my mom introduced me to someone. I was scared of him at first. I was just a little kid, and barely came up to his knees. But my stepdad Sam turned into one of the best friends I’ve ever had.”

 

Sam couldn’t help but wonder who was cutting onions around them.

 

“Then when I was twelve, my mom left. She left for a week, and I was terrified. I didn’t know what was going on, what was about to happen, if our lives were about to change again. Turns out I didn’t have anything to be afraid of. My dad was alive and she’d left to go pick him up. But I was afraid again. I didn’t know if my dad being back meant that I was going to lose Sam or what the future had in store for us. I worried that they wouldn’t get along with each other and I’d have to choose. But they turned into friends too.” Ellie, suddenly overcome reliving memories of her childhood, had to take a deep breath before she could continue. “My point is this. None of us know what life has in store for us from the time we leave here. It might be good, it might be bad, but whatever it is, we can’t be afraid. It’s those uncertain times that can bring us the biggest blessings, as long as we face them head on. Thank you.”

 

Ellie moved to sit down, her heart warm at the applause that followed her. She looked up in the stands. Don, Amelia, and Rachel were all cheering loudly for her, but Sam was silent. He was smiling and wiping away tears. Ellie caught his eye and blew him a kiss, to which he responded by mouthing ‘I love you, kiddo’. Ellie nodded and turned away, ready to receive her diploma.


End file.
